The Crossover Only God Knows
by ItsComplicatedOkay
Summary: Instead of sending Keima and Elsie to the past as intended, the Goddesses open a rift that has summoned new heroines from the multi-verse. Forced to return the heroines back to their world - and save his own - by Capturing their hearts, Keima Katsuragi, with Devils and Goddesses by his side, is in for a wild ride.
1. Y---- K-------- Route Part 1

**1.) Welcome! Anyway, for those of you who have never read any of my stories, the bold text at the very beginning and end are both Author's Notes.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai_ or any of the crossover characters introduced. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 01: Y**** K******** Route Part 1_

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"...Aren't we supposed to be 'going to the past', or something along those lines?" asked Keima Katsuragi, the reality-hating protagonist of the story. Apparently, the glowing stereotypical magic circle the size of a table-top didn't serve its purpose, unless its purpose was to illuminate the forest. Keima, PFP in hand, surveyed the scene. Some of the Goddesses, like Apollo, looked surprised, while some, like Diana, had their eyebrows scrunched up. Mercury, however, was her usual stoic self, enjoying the silence with eyes closed. The Capturing God took a leaf out of her book, and enjoyed the silence too: by playing games. At least till he was interrupted by Vulcan.

"I don't understand," mumbled Vulcan, the eldest of the six Goddesses. The doll walked/floated over to the rim of the circle, the part with all the runic etchings carved into it. Inspecting it, Vulcan found everything to be in order... "Everything's in place! Then what in the world went wrong!? Was it due to a lack of power, or maybe Keima's infidelity? Why isn't it workin- wait... who in Goddess's name etched 'portal' in where 'teleport' was supposed to go!?"

Then the earth shook. The sudden vibrations made Keima accidentally select the wrong choice, resulting in the loss of Love Points. "Damn Real! Now I have to restart the route all over again! At least now I can skip the dialogue I've already read-"

The exploding magic circle interrupted him. Since the gamer was right in the center of the circle of magic, he was the one who flew the highest. Keima was lucky that the intensity of the magic didn't cremate his still-living body. Of course, that wasn't going to stop him from hitting the ground from a thousand feet high. That was Elsie's job.

"_~Auah!_ You could've gotten yourself hurt, Kami Nii-sama!" said Elsie de Lute Ima, hoisting her Capturing Buddy up by the ankle. Keima sighed. The crappy game known as Reality really loved to screw him over, didn't it?

"Could you please set me down, Elsie?" said Keima. He didn't want to risk dropping his PFP from the colossal height he and Elsie were at. Elsie removed one hand from Keima's ankle, and saluted, the bug demon giving the Capturing God a playful grin.

"Okay, Kami Nii-sama!" cheered Elsie. The cold air flew past Keima as he and Elsie made their descent. Of course, Elsie chose the glowing white hole in the ground as her landing pad. Before Keima could fall in, he made sure to sound off his distress.

"Elsie, you bug demon, put me down over _there!_" exclaimed Keima, flailing his arms around comically. Elsie let out an "Oops...", and spun around, tossing the Capturing God right next to the hole. Keima, sensing the sudden tension in the air, pocketed his PFP, and shifted into his analytic mode. The glowing blue hole was just that: a glimmering blue circle with a seemingly infinite blue... _space_ in it. It was as if there was a whole new world there, and for some reason, Keima had to resist the temptation to dive in. If he guessed right (which he probably did), the hole lead to something... different from reality. Why else would his body be drawn to it? Suddenly, a blue staircase started to shimmer into existence at the rim of the rift, its end out of sight due to the deepness of the hole.

"Wait... didn't Vulcan say that 'portal' was etched into the magic circle?" thought Keima aloud, piecing the clues together. "Portal, staircase, different from Reality... got it." The portal in front of him was a portal to a universe - maybe even universes - that was different from his, and with the staircase appearing out of nowhere, that had to mean that something out-of-this-world was going to appear. And if Reality _really_ hated him... "Everyone, behind the trees, _now!_"

"Why, Keima?" asked Apollo, question marks appearing above everyone's heads but Keima's. Keima sighed. He didn't have time to explain the situation to any of them. He was going to have to do something to force them into the forest, and he wasn't going to like it. Instead of replying, the bespectacled boy sped to Apollo's side, and pressed his lips against hers.

"Let's run away together," whispered Keima. Without waiting for a response, the boy grabbed the blushing Medium's hand, and dragged her into the murky depths of the forest, a group of angry, cussing ladies on their tail. After about twenty-five meters (and when Keima's stamina ran out), he stopped, spun on his heel, and held his hand out in front of him, halting his pursuers. Once all the agitated women stopped, he pointed over to the rift in space. "Before you murder me, take a look."

Out of the blue, a brown-haired girl emerged from the portal's grasp. She had choppy brown hair that reached her shoulders, and her deep green eyes meshed with the moonlight to form an air of elegance. Yes, that was a good word to describe her: Elegant. The girl carried herself with pride, and it showed - her posture, for example, was perfect, befitting even the finest princess. Keima didn't care about any of her so-called "elegance" though. It was the fact that she wore a Mai-High uniform that caught the Capturing God's attention. He cursed Reality even more. 'Just as I thought,' thought Keima. _'A girl appeared. And if Murphy's law holds any truth-'_

_Doro doro!_ The sound of a Sensor going off alerted everyone to the fact that the girl who had just appeared out of nowhere had an Escaped Spirit in her. Keima sighed for the nth time that day. Once she was five steps away from the staircase, the blue portal closed itself up without a trace. It was like it had never even existed. Luckily, the girl noticed neither the Disappearance of the Blue Portal nor the alarm of the Skull on Elsie's head. "Elsie, tag her. Haqua, bring up her profile."

The two devils diligently went to work... till Haqua stopped. "W-Why am I at your beck-and-call again!?" Keima had to resist the urge to facepalm. Time was of the essence, and Haqua's little Tsundere act wasn't helping. Keima whipped out his phone - which he never really used - put it up to his ear, and said, "Nora, could you do me a favor-"

"Never mind, I'll do it!" quickly interjected Haqua. Everyone (excluding an oblivious Elsie, of course) had a comical drop of sweat on their faces, as Keima had the urge to facepalm yet again. "Anyway, her name is Yuuko Kinoshita. Seventeen years of age, she is a high-school junior at Fumizuki Aca- wait, the information just changed!"

Keima attributed the sudden changes in data to Yuuko's out-of-the-blue appearance in Maijima. Whoever kept order among the Cosmos apparently changed some of her details, to fit Keima's universe better. Of course, that meant transferring her to his school. Just as Yuuko started to walk away from the forested area, Keima said, "Please continue, Haqua."

"She goes to Maijima High - the same one you and the others go to. She has a younger brother, but... loves beating him with her 'fist'. I have no idea on why her fist is in quotes, by the way," continued Haqua, cutting Keima off. He had to applaud her for being able to tell what he was thinking, even if she _had_ cut him off. "Anyway, she's also a Yaoi fangirl who likes walking around the house in only her underwear..."

_'D-Damn Real! What kind of heroine reads BL books!?'_ screamed Keima in his mind, clutching his head._ 'If a company had made a game with this kind of heroine, I'd personally have it brought to its cursed knees! Ugh, I'll just pretend that it's a quirk that sets her apart from the rest. It a crappy quirk to have, though.'_ The group of nine were forced to wait through the awkward silence till Yuuko left the scene. Once the mysterious lady was out of sight, the group emerged from the shadows.

"...W-What happened?" asked a nervous Minerva, hiding behind Diana. The fellow Goddess nodded in agreement, and turned to Keima, her expression asking the question for her: Will you please explain? Keima sighed, and pulled out his PFP, seeking shelter behind the stories the PFP held within.

"...I'll explain at the house."

* * *

In Keima's room (which was soundproofed by Haqua), he told everything he knew to everyone. After the explanation, everyone still seemed to have questions to ask. Who wouldn't? The story was mostly theoretical, with a bunch of hypotheses filling up the holes. Of course, Keima planned to fill in the holes with cold, hard facts later on. The story goes like this: The girls come from another dimension to meet their God, who Captures their hearts, sending them back to whence they came. Then, somehow, it would affect the miasma surrounding Mai-High.

"Now if my theory is correct," said Keima, Capturing the attention of the harem of girls in his gaming room, "the miasma should have stabilized. Otherwise, there would be no connection between these new heroines and the miasma, tossing my hypothesis down the drain. Anyway-"

"K-Kami-sama!" cried out a tired Elsie, tapping on the windowsill. Mars, the person closest to the window, reached for the window, and lifted it up, letting in the bug demon. Luckily for her, she had just enough control to stop herself from colliding with Keima's game collection. "I checked the school. All the black gas just disappeared!"

"Wait wait wait," said Haqua, shaking her head. "If the new heroines are stopping the miasma, then why are we trying to send them away?" The Goddesses nodded in approval. Even timid little Minerva and lazy Mercury agreed with the valedictorian. It seemed that the Capturing God was cornered... or was he.

"Then the Weiss within her wins," said Keima, pointing out a severe flaw in Haqua's logic. It was the whole point of the Escaped Spirit Squad. What kind of Escaped Spirit Squad doesn't Capture Escaped Spirits!? "It's like a bad disease. Even if we try to regulate it, eventually, it'll grow, and once it does, it'll be pretty hard to stop. And even if we could control the Weiss's growth, I'm pretty sure that just having only her won't stop the miasma."

"D-Damn," replied Haqua. Then a ringtone cut through the thick tension. Apollo blushed, and picked up the phone. Everyone (including Elsie this time!) had an overly exaggerated drop of sweat on their faces as Apollo talked to whoever was on the other line. At the end, Apollo sighed, and snapped Kanon's pink phone shut.

"I'm sorry sisters," said Apollo, getting up. She dusted off herself, and continued. "But I have to go. Kanon's manager's about to reach Kanon's condo, and if she isn't found there..." She didn't need to continue. Kanon Nakagawa was _the_ top idol, and if she wasn't found in her condo room, all sorts of scandal might pop up, bringing down the pink-ette's career in a flash.

"Just keep Kanon safe, okay?" added Keima. Kanon smirked, and nodded, jumping out of the window. When he turned back to the group, they were all glaring at him. To be more specific, they were glaring at his favoritism. The offended girls quickly vacated the room, with Diana and Haqua smacking him before leaving. After a record time of ten seconds, only Keima and Elsie were the room's occupants. Smirking, Keima laid back, and brought out his PFP, saying, "And _that_, Elsie, is how to empty a room."

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_**Footnotes:**_

_**Yuuko Kinoshita: From the Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu franchise. A homage to my TWOSK story**_

_**The Disappearance of the Blue Portal: A **_**very_ flimsy reference to the Haruhi Suzumiya movie_**

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**2.) By the way, the update rate of this story is approximately every other week. **

**3.) Did you enjoy the story? Then please review! Reviews motivate me to write more for the story, and that'll mean faster updates!  
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**Goodbye!**


	2. Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 2

**1.) Hey, I'm back, and ready for a new chapter! By the way, the next update should be around March 15.**

**2.) Finals (for us) are coming up, so wish me luck!**

**3.) For those who want some music to listen to while reading this, check out _Hero_ by supercell (Japanese lyrics), or _Her Determination_ (Clannad Background music).**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 02: Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 2_

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"Kami Nii-sama, breakfast is ready!" The sound of Elsie's yelling stirred Keima from his heroine-filled dreams. Removing the Virtual PFP set from his eyes, Keima got up, his shoulder cracking from lack of use, and waded through the sea of games on the floor. Keima guessed that when Elsie left the room, she had accidentally knocked over his shelf of games, and since he was too engrossed in his dating sims, he couldn't notice. Keima sighed, and decided to chastise his idiotic Buddy later, since he still had to think of her punishment. Opening the door, he made his way down the steps into the Café portion of his house: Café Grampa, named after the former owner of the house, Keima's grandfather. The bespectacled boy stuck his hand into the depths of his pockets till he found the familiar contours of his PFP... which he almost dropped at the sight of Yui and Ayumi in the kitchen. "Hey, Kami Nii-sama's here!"

_'Damn, Goddess Hosts. What kind of Flag is Reality throwing me now!?,'_ internally cursed Keima, his gaze lingering over the track-and-field runner, who had tied up her hair, and the cross-dressing drummer, who stood with an air of confidence. (Those etiquette and cooking lessons finally came in handy!) Once they both saw the gamer, they fixed themselves up. Ayumi, with her hair let down, made sure that she was presentable, while Yui stuck out her bountiful chest.

"G-Good morning, Keima," said Ayumi. It had taken her a lot of courage to go over to the house of the one she loved, and actually cook breakfast there. Speaking about breakfast, it was a meal worthy of a professional athlete: all parts of the food pyramid were arranged in a custom-made triangle-shaped bento box. Twiddling with her thumbs, a blushing Ayumi spoke up. "I made this for you-"

"Please enjoy the fruits of my labor, Darling," interjected Yui, picking up her bento. She moved closer and closer, while Keima moved farther and farther, till his back was to a wall. As Keima internally cursed, Yui casually barred his escape with her free hand by placing it against the wall that the Capturing God was leaning on. Keima, like Ayumi, was blushing, while Elsie just stood there like the perfect little assistant. Seeing no way to escape, Keima was forced to take the bento.

He opened it, and to his surprise, it looked magnificent, like something out of a five-star restaurant, or a fancy commercial. The gamer had thought that when Yui got a good dose of manliness after her (first) Conquest, she had lost the cooking skills she had been forced to learn while taking up her "Perfect Bride 101" course. Seeing the shocked look on Keima's face, Yui added, "I made it myself!"

Keima gave her a grateful smile, and walked away to the safety of the dining table, fancy bento in hand. Once he set it down, he was ambushed by his very first follower: Elsie de Lute Ima. "Here's _my_ breakfast bento, Keima!" She shoved Pandora's Box in front of the God, his complexion paling. Keima's thought process went like this: What kind of monstrosity could be in the depths of this bento box? Maybe a devilish octopus straight out of a bottom-of-the-barrel _eroge_ will appear, or if he was lucky, a poisonous piece of sushi would be inside the bento, so that he wouldn't have to suffer through her meals-of-torture any longer. Opening the innocently pink bento, the inside was revealed: a mish-mash of diced vegetables and meat with rice. The whole thing was covered in a delectable sauce. "Haqua taught me how to cook this dish!"

Keima had to force himself not to smile. As long as Elsie kept on cooking like Haqua, he was going to suffer under the bug demon's unpalatable food no longer, and he could live to game another day! He made sure to remember to thank Haqua later. Of course, there were two other girls he had to deal with before he could start gaming- ahem, _eating_, in peace. "Ayumi... would you mind if I eat your bento during lunch period? Your very healthy-looking bento seems more suited for a midday boost in calories. And Yui, can I just eat this over dinner? I'd like to take my time with this delectable meal, but I can't if I have to rush for school."

"S-Sure/Of course, Darling," they said. They visibly looked as if a colossal weight was lifted off of their shoulders. They then picked up their bags, and walked off to school. Once Keima was sure that they were out of sight, he said, "Elsie, get me a funnel."

"Why, Kami Nii-sama?" asked the perplexed Buddy, moving over to the dishwasher to look for the funnel. After a few minutes, she raised the object above her head, Link-style. "What are you gonna do with this?" She gave the bespectacled boy the funnel, which he put into his mouth.

"Oar da ood into ny nouth (Pour the food into my mouth)," said Keima, already gaming. Luckily for him, Elsie was able to understand his gibberish, and funneled the diced up food into his mouth. For some unknown reason, Keima didn't gag - or choke, for that matter - because of that uncomfortable way of eating. Elsie put it down to Keima's awe-inspiring willpower.

Smiling, Elsie said, "Oh, Kami-sama..."

After breakfast, Keima and Elsie went outside, preparing for another day of school. For Elsie, it was yet another eight hours of battling with her Hellian-Japanese language barrier, while for Keima, it was eight hours of gaming-filled fun. Of course, Keima's peace-of-mind was shattered when a girl walked up to his side. Shoulder-to-shoulder with the Capturing God, Tenri Ayukawa, sporting a familiar uniform, was walking in the same direction as Keima and Elsie.

"G-Good morning, Keima, Elsie," said the shy teenager, playing around with her bubble wrap, which seemingly never ran out. Elsie cheered in reply, while Keima acknowledged her with a nod. Then, Elsie noticed the familiar uniform that Tenri was wearing: a uniform with a hexagonal emblem.

"Whoa, you're going to Mai-high now, Tenri!?" asked Elsie, recieving a silent nod in reply. Elsie sighed, noticing how unsocial Tenri and Keima were._ 'Heh, if Shiori was here,'_ mused Elsie,_ 'then the silent trio would be reunited!'_ Keima, as if reading her thoughts, shook his head in disgust, while Tenri's head drooped. _'K-Kami Nii-sama and Tenri can read minds!?'_

"...Elsie," said Keima, suddenly stopping. The other two stopped too, wondering the same thing: What's happening? Keima, pocketing his PFP, became serious, his nonchalant expression dropping. "You tagged Yuuko, right? Could you please lead me to her? You can come along too, Tenri."

"S-Sure, Keima," said Tenri. Diana internally sighed. 'What would it take to make Tenri more assertive!? Threats don't work, and neither does egging her on!'

"Of course, Kami Nii-sama!" said Elsie, saluting to Keima. She whipped out her Celestial Robe, the silky substance turning into a long length of pink rope. She swung it around like a cowgirl, a ring of rope above her head, and tossed it, the rope flying off to wherever Yuuko was. Elsie marched on, the silent duo trudging along behind her.

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"So this is where the heroine lives," said Keima, surveying the scene. The three of them - who were invisible thanks to Elsie's Celestial Robe - were in front of Yuuko's newly bought apartment. It looked like your average apartment - nicer than Sumire's, but not as nice as a high-end complex. It was as nice as an average apartment could be. Again, Keima didn't care for useless parameters. He was here to see the heroine act out her daily life, not to appreciate how nice her apartment was! "Elsie, breach the door."

Now, any other devil would have stuck a strip of Celestial Robe into the lock to simulate a key, but Elsie wasn't just any other devil. She was a Bug Demon, and she was going to live up to the name. Still invisible, Elsie turned a part of the Celestial Robe into a battering ram worthy of any police force. Since there would only be enough Robe left to conceal one person, Keima and Tenri were left behind the gates, and for good reason. Anyone caught in the crossfire between that battering ram and the door would be smashed into a pulp.

"Hyah!" exclaimed Elsie, slamming the battering ram against the door, smashing it open. For some reason, the door lock was the only casualty - the door itself remained on its hinges, and besides the frisbee-sized crater in the door, it looked fine. Keima had to resist facepalming. _'I meant 'breach it _silently_', you bug demon!'_ The girl that he was throttling (in his mind, of course) saluted to him, a content grin on her face. The bespectacled boy sighed, and called over Elsie, and just in time, too. Once the invisible Elsie was safe beside Keima and Tenri, a girl kicked the door open with as much tomboyishness as possible. Way different from the night before. She went outside, and whipped around, her glare landing on the crack in the door.

"Tsk. What in the world happened here!?" cried Yuuko, grabbing at her choppy brown hair. To Keima, time slowed down, and even the smallest reaction was noticeable to him. He watched as she brushed her hand against her hairclip, as his eyes zoned in on the accessory. Engraved on it was "Hideyuuko", and Keima committed it to memory._ '...Hideyuuko. An obvious portmanteau of Yuuko and a name starting with 'Hide-', which is usually followed by '-yoshi'. Hideyoshi. A boy's name. Obviously, 'Hideyoshi' is close to Yuuko, since his name was portmanteau-ed with hers. Is he a lover, a brother, or a twin?'_

"Just seeing this reminds me of those crazy 2-F guys," sighed Yuuko, bringing out her phone. After telling Elsie and Tenri to stay put, Keima swiftly made his way over to Yuuko's side. Peering over her shoulder, he looked at the phone's display, which was showing the phonebook.

Contacts:

7.) XXX XXX  
8.) Hideyoshi Kinoshita  
9.) Shouko Kirishima  
10.) XXX XXX

_'So Hideyoshi's her brother,'_ concluded Keima, walking back to the girls as Yuuko phoned up a repairman. Once Yuuko went back into the house - probably to get her schoolbag - the trio departed. _'Preparations almost complete.'_

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"...Damn Reality," cursed Keima. Apparently, all the Goddess Hosts (excluding Yui, for reasons already known) thought that it was a good idea to bring Keima lunch on that exact day. Keima now had to eat five meals, and Keima was probably not going to survive. Kanon, with an expectant look on her face, leaned in, her chopsticks hovering near Keima's lips. He gulped, bringing down a bite of Tsuchiyo's bento, and opened wide for Kanon's. "Aah."

"Does it taste good, Keima?" asked Kanon, blushing a little. Under her confidant idol exterior was a shy high school girl, and it showed. Keima nodded, adding a fake smile to the mix. The idol beamed, but was gently nudged aside by Ayumi, placing the triangle-shaped bento box into Keima's grasp. Picking up a spoon, she scooped a spoonful of yogurt from the dairy section of the now-empty bento, causing Keima to sigh._ 'No, not the sweets!'_

"Gkh!" grunted Keima, the sweetness of the yogurt overwhelming him. He had to escape somehow... Gotcha. Since all the Goddess Hosts already knew Keima's true nature as a human Buddy under the wing of the Escaped Spirit Squad, using a Capture as an excuse was very acceptable. "E-Elsie, get me some tea, for the Conquest."

At the sound of the last word, all activities came to a halt. A Conquest, at least to the Goddess Hosts, was an event where the man they loved tried to make a stranger - whom they haven't even met - fall in love with him, and it was obvious that they were pissed. Of course, they were cooled down when they reminded themselves of the purple choker around Keima's neck.

"Ayumi." At the sound of her name, her head sprung up, eyes wide. "Miyako wasn't in class today. Is she sick, or out-of-town?" Ayumi put her hand on her chin, deep in thought.

"...I think I remember something like that," replied the track-and-field runner, reaching into her pocket for her cellphone. Flipping it open, she went to her inbox, and delved into the past conversations between her and Miyako. "Got it! Here: 'I have the chicken pox, so I won't be able to attend practice till Friday.' Why do you need this?"

"...I plan on visiting," said Keima, dropping a bombshell. Before an uproar could start, Elsie dropped by, holding a bottle of milk tea in hand. Keima took the tea, opened it, and walked purposefully towards the rooftops entrance, chugging on it a little. Keima had observed Yuuko earlier, and had noticed that halfway through any break period, she would always go to the rooftop, and Keima made sure to use that knowledge to his advantage. He counted down:

_Three.._

_Two..._

_One..._

The doors swung open, Yuuko Kinoshita appearing. Keima walked over, and "stumbled", spilling the drink all over the poor girl. Keima put on a shocked expression, as Yuuko's face got madder. "W-What the hell!?"

"Oh, I'm so _so_ sorry!" replied Keima, feigning worry. He reached out a hand to the literally floored teenager. "Are you hurt?" That seemed to cool down Yuuko, albeit a little. She accepted the hand, and got up, dusting herself off.

"Nope, besides the stain in my uniform," said Yuuko, looking at the dark spot on her jacket. Keima grimaced.

"Dang... I know!" said Keima. "I'll take you to a laundromat!"

"That's not necessary-"

"But I insist." Yuuko was conflicted: was it more polite to just refuse the help outright, or should she accept his gesture to show gratitude?

"...Okay."

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**4.) I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter! If you have, please add this to your favorites, subscribe, and review! These three things bring up my morale, and more morale equals better chapters!  
**

**Goodbye!**


	3. Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 3

**1.) Hello, and welcome back! I updated a little early this time: just a day early. The next update'll be from the 21st till the end of March.**

**2.) I've been getting some good feedback, so thank you all!**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 03: Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 3_

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"...He's good," sighed Ayumi, echoing the other Goddess Hosts' thoughts. With Elsie by their side, they were hiding behind bushes to spy on their loved one... dating another girl. Okay, "dating" might have been a stretch. Keima and Yuuko were just walking and talking casually, on their way to the Terada Dry Cleaning. It amazed them, though, at how easily Keima had dropped the girl's guard. At the start of their so-called "date", Yuuko was as stiff as a board, but now, she was as flimsy as cardboard, and if she was cardboard, Keima was a silver bullet, shooting straight towards her heart. "...Too good."

"I agree." A sparkle from Tsuchiyo's direction signalled a change-of-control: the Goddess Vulcan was now in charge. The floating doll usually called Luna moved a bit closer to the edge of the bush, her glare intensifying. The timid Shiori had to hold up a book (Mark of Athena) to protect herself from the steam coming out of Vulcan's hear. "Let's bash his unfaithful skull into the ground!"

"Hold it!" cried Mars, her host letting the Goddess at the controls. She dashed up to Vulcan and thrust her palm against the doll's head. Her open palm slammed against Vulcan's temple, the doll crashing into the ground. Tsuchiyo's passive face contorted into a wince, the pain from the blow registering. "Until Yui gets her happy ending, I won't- _can't_ let you lay your hands on her Beloved... even if their genders and clothing are a little mixed up!"

"So be it!" replied Vulcan. Shiori whimpered as her book (Mark of Athena) flew out of her grasp, the thick novel joining Vulcan's collection of dangerous floating objects as Mars got into a fighting stance. There was a tense stand-off between the two, a few tumbleweeds bouncing around, till Diana, Switching with Tenri, stepped in between. "_Imouto-san_, get out-of-the-way. I must chastise this ineffably annoying sister of yours."

_'Why does this always have to happen when Keima's in the equation?'_ sighed Diana. She was getting a little pissed off. Didn't they discuss this already!? No fights for Keima's hand unless he wishes it so, which will never happen (Keima's Logic: If the Goddesses grow weak again after a fight over him, who was the only one who could to nurse them back to health? Him.) _'Speaking of Keima... where is he!? Oh Goddess, he must have slipped away while these guys were tussling! Damn...'_

* * *

_'Yes, I've successfully lost their trail!'_ internally cheered Keima. He was currently looking behind him, those meddling kids out of his sight. _'Who knows what they could do to the Conquest!'_

Keima and Yuuko chatted some more, till they reached the Terada Dry Cleaning complex. The dry cleaning wasn't special - a few dry-cleaned coats hung on a rack behind the counter, showing off the store's finesse. Something that the other dry cleaning places didn't have was a staircase - the one that led to the Terada's main living space. After opening the door for her, Keima led Yuuko to the counter.

"Welcome!" said a cheery Mrs. Terada, a welcoming smile plastered on her face. Keima noticed that she looked pretty similar to Miyako. In fact, they could pass as twins - the height and hair color were the only differences between the two. If you wanted to be a little lecherous, you could toss bust size into the small pile of different parameters, with the older woman coming out on top. "How may I help you?"

"Could you please get this dry cleaned?" asked Keima, pointing to the folded jacket in Yuuko's arms. The girl handed the brown-haired mother the uniform, the latter accepting it. "How much will your services be, and when can we retrieve the jacket?"

"You'll get this back in around three days," said the kind Mrs. Terada, stowing the blazer somewhere under the counter. Yuuko reached into her handbag, till Keima placed a hand on hers. She looked up to see a tender smile grace his features. Wait, there was a word to describe it... oh yeah. Elegant. "The price is normally one thousand yen, but for you young lovebirds, I'll slash the price in half!"

That last statement caused Yuuko and Keima to blush, as they both turned away from each other. Miyako's mom chuckled, mumbling something along the lines of "teenage love". Fumbling around in his pocket, he retrieved four one-hundred yen bills, and handed them to the mom. All was going well, till someone semi-unexpected arrived. Enter Miyako Terada, pianist for the 2-B Pencils.

"Mom, all the spots are gone- Keima!?" cried Miyako. The formerly sick pianist was dressed in a translucent nightgown - probably just awoke to a chicken pox-less body - which highlighted her curves. That fact was quickly noticed by Miyako, who quickly turned away, covering her bum with her hands. Yuuko suddenly got agitated for some unknown reason, her hands tightening into fists. "K-Keima! What are you doing here!?"

"Oh, hey Miyako!" said Keima, giving the black-haired girl a wave. Yuuko's annoyance only grew, till it was almost as colossal as Miyako's embarrassment. Speaking about Miyako, she had quickly climbed up the staircase, leaving her head as the only visible part of her body. "I'm glad that you've gotten better! I'll be sure to tell Ayumi and the others later. As for why I'm here, I'm getting Yuuko's uniform dry-cleaned." Keima looked up at the nearby wall clock, noticing that ten minutes have already flown by. He cursed. Those damn unneeded variables (Goddess Hosts) could burst in at any moment, so he had to wrap the whole thing up, and quickly! Taking Yuuko by the hand, Keima swiftly walked out, saying, "Goodbye!"

"K-Keima, what are you doing!?" asked a flushed Yuuko, her gaze lingering on the interlocked hands. Of course, this wasn't Yuuko's first exposure to real-life romance. She had even been confessed to before. She was confessed to a _lot_, actually - around once a month at her old school. That wasn't why she was blushing. The reason why was that no one had ever been as assertive as the guy holding her hand. Of course, she reminded herself that they had only met today, and that the hand-holding was just a by-product of Keima's rushed escape. Now that she thought about it, she asked herself this: Why was Keima so desperate to leave? Maybe it was because of that random cutie in slightly revealing pajamas? Okay, so the lithe girl wasn't just some random person, if the conversation between Keima and "Miyako" could be believed. That doesn't change the fact that Keima had acted weird, and Yuuko planned to call him out on that... after the hand-holding session. What!? You don't get the chance to hold the soft hand of a _bishounen_ everyday, you know!

"Holding your hand," replied Keima, giving her a flirtatious grin. He hoped that if he distracted her with some flirting here and there, then she'd forget the whole running-out-the-door fiasco. He looked behind for a split second: no one was there. Ayumi probably held up the Goddess Host group at the dry-cleaners by talking to Miyako. The track-and-field members would talk for at least fifty-four seconds: Ayumi would greet Miyako (six seconds), then Ayumi would ask about Miyako's health (thirty-one seconds). Miyako would then tell Ayumi about Keima's whereabouts (fifteen seconds), and Ayumi would bolt out the door, saying thanks (two seconds). That would be the quickest dialogue that they could have, considering all the variables. "Is this making you uncomfortable?"

"N-No, not at all," replied Yuuko, turning away, _tsundere_-style. Their distance from Yuuko's apartment - and their time together - was coming to an end. For some reason, Yuuko didn't want him to leave. She froze that feeling, and tossed it out. If she felt that way, it would be against the whole point of her moving from Fumizuki. She checked her watch for the time, and gasped. Five till seven!? Since they left the school at four 'o clock sharp, they had been together for more than three hours! Yuuko couldn't believe that she was with him for that long! Plus, Keima had said that he lived pretty far from where she lived, and since it was close to dinner, it would be a while till the boy got to eat. (Little did Yuuko know that he didn't need to eat: as long as there is save data, there is hope!) "Keima, since its almost seven, would you like to eat at my house?"

"...Sure, if I'm not imposing," said Keima, trying to drag out the after-school event. At the most, he wanted to figure out Yuuko's heroine-problem (which probably had something to do with this Hideyoshi person), and at the very least, he had to get her contacts, so that he could call her up for another event. Having dinner with her - at her own house, no less - would be a pretty good event to siphon all that he needed to Capture her heart.

Unlocking her now-fixed door, Yuuko led Keima into her humble abode. It was a pretty good abode, especially considering that it was just for one person. The walls, floor, and ceiling were wonderful shades of brown, warm hospitality radiating from them. Next to the living room, which had a soft-looking couch, a coffee table, and a flat-screen TV, a dining room was stationed. Beyond that was the kitchen, which peeked from behind the half-open door, and back at the living room, a staircase stood, leading to the second floor, which probably had the bedrooms. "Nice place you have, Yuuko."

"Thanks. Pretty comfy for a _2LDK_, huh?" replied Yuuko, heading straight for the kitchen, right after donning her apron, of course. Keima decided to be a polite little guest, so he just stood where Yuuko had left him, his hand twitching. He just wasn't comfortable with his PFP out of his hands in quiet times such as that. Noticing her mistake, Yuuko said, "Oh, feel free to go around the house. I'll just call you over when dinner is finished."

"Alright," he said, deciding to walk around the house. It was a nice house, but as stated before, Keima wasn't interested in that. He was interested in something else, and if he found that something else... Anyway, Keima walked over to the coffee table and knelt, searching under it for the Goddess-forsaken book that he needed to find. His search yielded nothing. "Damn."

Silently cursing, he got up, and made his was over to the staircase leading to the second floor. Once there, he looked at both of the doors carefully. One was yellow, while the other one was a dull white. The decision was a no-brainer: the yellow door was the obvious choice. (When bedroom door colors in a house differ, white is usually reserved for guests, while the colored doors are colored the owner's favorite color... at least in games.)

Inside, the room was fairly plain: a bed, end table, study table, a closet, and a vanity set were the only pieces of furniture in the room. No extra chairs, no TV, nothing. Of course, that made the Capturing God's search easier, so he was pretty grateful. He knelt before the vanity set, checking the alcove underneath the little drawer. There were a few reading materials, which were probably for school, and a photograph of Yuuko and someone who looked almost exactly like her, excluding the hairstyle, bust size, and the uniform. Keima concluded that boy - yes, boy - in the picture was Hideyoshi, and that they were probably twins. That wasn't what he was searching for, though, so he put it aside for later interrogation. Delving further, he was close to cutting the search for the book short, till he noticed a weird nook in the wall. Keima pulled the nook, a hidden compartment revealing itself. Smiling, Keima reached inside, his fingers grabbing the hard spine of a book. Bingo. Pulling it out, Keima smirked.

"Finally, I have the elusive BL book!"

* * *

_**Footnotes:**_

_**Cost of getting a uniform dry cleaned: I have no idea, so I just guessed. Does it cost ~$10? Tell me!**_

_**2LDK: Japanese term for an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. **_

* * *

**3.) If you've enjoyed (or hated) this chapter, or the story in general, then please review, favorite, and follow this story! C'mon, show your support!**

**See ya!**


	4. Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 4

**1.) I finished the chapter early, so I'll give my small amount of followers a treat, and release it early!**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 04: Yuuko Kinoshita Route Part 4_

* * *

"I'm coming!" replied the guy from above. Yuuko suspected that he had rifled through her room, and stiffened. There were two things that she didn't want to expose to anyone: her underwear, for obvious reasons, and her BL books. He couldn't have gotten a hold of her undergarments (the drawer they were in was locked), but the possibility of the BL books being out in the open was very plausible. With her fingers crossed, she hoped that her "books" weren't just sprawled out on her study desk as she cursed her former self for giving Keima free rein to roam around. "By the way... what is this?"

"W-What!?" Yuuko spun around, only to face the boy she invited holding one of her dreaded BL books. He didn't have an accusative or jeering expression on his face. In fact, he had on a faint smile. Jiggling the tankoubon a little, Keima walked over to Yuuko, with the latter backing away slowly. "O-Okay, I know what you are thinking, but that is not mine!"

"You stopped using contractions, Yuuko," said Keima, dropping his innocent smile. Sure, Yuuko may have been a prodigy, but she wasn't a hardened liar. Keima could've laughed at the pitiful attempt to hide the truth. The girl in question gulped, her backsides already pressing against the counter. "Plus, you just moved in, so not too many people are gonna visit you, at least for a few days. No one else could own this."

"F-Fine, I like Yaoi, okay?" said Yuuko, sighing. Keima smirked, pushing up his glasses. This was perfect! If he just worded his thoughts correctly, he could game and Conquer at the same time! Putting the BL book on the table, Keima reached into his pocket, the cold metal of the PFP bringing familiarity and courage to him- not that he was lacking in the latter, mind you.

"It fine that you have a... pet peeve," said Keima, internally shivering at the thought of Conquering a yaoi-loving heroine. Pulling the PFP out of its sheath, Keima showed if off to Yuuko, his slight smile getting a little bigger. "Everyone has one. For example, my weird quirk is my love for dating sims. You mind if we keep each other's secrets?"

"...It's a deal." Yuuko knew that she was throwing away her pride, but she knew she had to do it, lest he spread her secret around the school. _'Wait,'_ she tried to reason,_ 'I have dirt on him too. But for him to admit his quirk so nonchalantly means that the secret must be already pretty well known. Yeah, I guess it_ is_ best to go along with this. Besides, he seems trustworthy enough...'_

_'Yes, game on!'_ cheered Keima, flicking on his PFP. He was overjoyed that he could have a Conquest while having a Conquest! If all that time spent Capturing Runaway Spirits were used to Conquer 2D heroines, Keima wouldn't have any trouble dealing with his backlog of galges. Sadly, it seemed that the 2D + 3D Dual Conquest would only last for Yuuko Kinoshita's route... or would it? _'Mwahaha, the Capturing God is back! Now, should I go for Minami or Mizuki?'_

"A-Anyway, it's time to eat, Keima," said Yuuko, watching his cold-yet-elegant expression melt into pure delight as he played his galges. Noticing that he was rude, Keima pocketed his PFP (reluctantly) and walked over to the dining table, which was covered by delectable dishes. Sadly, they weren't like Haqua's patent-pending "Auto-Swallow" meal, so he couldn't just funnel the food into his mouth while gaming. Nope: he had to eat like a civilized individual. Isn't that sad? He pulled out a seat - which was facing Yuuko's seat - and got comfy, slightly admiring the chair.

"_Itadakimasu_," said the two of them automatically. Piling his plate with enough food to be polite yet not consume too much time, Keima took a bite... and nodded. The food tasted good - maybe even Yui level, but Keima's sense of taste wasn't strong enough to go beyond that comparison. "...It's good."

"Thanks," said Yuuko, brushing back some loose strands of hair. A semi-comfortable lull in conversation settled as the two adolescents ate, with only the clang of utensils keeping the deafening silence at bay. Once the meal was over, Keima and Yuuko both said their thanks for it, and brought their plated to the kitchen. "Keima, I'll wash these, so just sit on the couch, and play some games, okay?"

"No, I'll handle the dishes: you just sit on the couch and continue reading your... novels," said Keima, rolling back his sleeves. If you didn't catch on yet, here are Keima's objectives: 1.) Get close to Yuuko; 2.) Ask her about Hideyoshi, who, according to Keima's suspicions, is the source of her problems; 3.) Have her pour her heart out; 4.) Fill the gap. If everything went according to plan, the Conquest, which started just a few hours ago, would be completed in three days, at the very most.

"...Okay, Keima."

* * *

"_Katsuragi_," said a possessed Luna, ominously towering over the poor gamer, who was bound to a chair by ropes that Keima, with his abysmal strength, would never be able to break... unless he used his God of Conquest mode. Which he couldn't. "Where did you go, you unfaithful piece of sh-"

"Vulcan, calm down," said Diana, contradicting herself by choking Keima (in her mind, of course).

"-! Argh, I can't believe that my majestic, elegant Tsukiyo fell in love with trash like you- wait, are you _sleeping!?_" exclaimed the Eldest Goddess, popping Keima's snot bubble. With a mutter, he straightened himself up, patting the PFP in his pocket to make sure of its safety, sighing out of relief once his fingertips felt the console He sighed again once Vulcan continued her rant. "This just proves your incompetence-"

"Enough, sister," said Mars, putting her hands on the doll's shoulders. With a stern look on her face, Mars dragged the agitated Goddess away, for the sake of everyone else. In fact, once the doll was out of the way, everyone let out a synchronized sigh of relief. It's not that they _hated_ Vulcan's constant ramblings - the girls actually agreed with what the eldest Goddess spat out most of the time - it's just that she ranted a little _tooo_ much. Luckily, one of the more mature sisters would haul her away before things got out of hand. Speaking of out of hand...

"W-What in Goddess's name is this development!?" cried a still bound Keima, the rest of the girls pulling out their dinner time bentos. A Reverted (Switched from Goddess to Host) Tsukiyo and Yui peeked from the corner with boxes of food in hand, and Keima knew that he wasn't going to eat Cup Noodles for the all-nighter that he was going to pull. Sighing, he succumbed to his cruel fate. "...Line up, single file. Let's get this over with."

* * *

"Why is Kami Nii-sama talking using a computer?" asked Elsie, pointing at the poor boy who was lying on his side with a computer in his reach. Huddled around him was the usual group: the Hosts, Elsie, and Haqua, with Mari cleaning up the kitchen. Why, you ask? Because everyone wanted a Conquest update, so that they could all party (excluding Keima, who would make a tactical retreat to his room) once it was over. Sadly, Keima didn't really feel like talking about the Conquest, or anything, for that matter. No one would be, if they were as stuffed as him. All he wanted to do was sleep the food off, but the Hosts + Haqua wouldn't allow that.

"**Because my mouth was so abuse by certain females that it is now incapable so speech**," said a Stephen Hawking-esque voice, Keima's sharp glare stopping the girls from laughing at him. Satisfied, he continued his computerized dialogue. "**Anyway, the Conquest should be nearly finished: I'll use tomorrow to increase Yuuko's affection through events, and Capture her the next day.**"

"N-Not to be rude, b-but what's her p-problem," asked Shiori, causing question marks to pop up above Elsie's head. "T-That's what Keima's doing, r-right? S-Saving the girl- I-I mean Yuuko, j-just like how he saved the rest of us."

The rest of the Hosts nodded in agreement, shocking Keima a little. Even if the Goddess Hosts had their differences, they were still united under one flag – Keima himself. And even if it sounds good, it isn't. If they reached an agreement, they'd probably gang up on Keima, take away his games, and make him love them. With the power of Goddesses by their side, that possibility isn't so farfetched. The only thing Keima could do to prevent that horrible gameless outcome would be to keep the goal – his love – in sight, but out of reach at the same time. It was cruel, but Keima wasn't going to take any risks with his game time on the line.

"**...It has something to do with her twin brother, Hideyoshi.**"

* * *

"Hello, Yuuko! I'm your Class Rep, Aoko Aozaki," said a red-haired girl, bowing to the twin sister. Apparently, she was absent on Yuuko's first day, so she wasn't able to take Yuuko on the obligatory tour of the campus, and the representative decided to rectify that. "I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to show you around the school!"

"It's fine," said Yuuko, giving a comforting smile to the panicking rep, which calmed the red-head down. Yuuko knew how stressful being a class official could get, having been the ambassador of her old class. Aoko gave Yuuko a smile in return, and lead the brunette out the door. "Let's just start the tour."

"Of course!" The ever-so-peppy Aoko showed off the campus to Yuuko: the cafeteria – which was almost void of students thanks to its overpriced food, the track-and-field oval – where a certain short haired human bullet was absent from, the other buildings, such as the junior high facilities and the library – where Shiori was nowhere in sight – and other places.

"By the way, what do you know about Keima Katsuragi," asked Yuuko, Aoko stopping dead in her tracks. The brunette couldn't make out the expression on Aoko's face: was it fear, shock, or plain loathe. Apparently loathe won out, as Aoko's unreadable expression curled into a grimace. She turned on her heel, and put her hands on Yuuko's shoulders, the intensity of her eyes chilling Yuuko to the bone.

"You do _not_ want to be associated with that filthy pile of trash," said Aoko. "He plays his games, no matter what the situation. He even plays during class – it's like he's wed to the thing! Plus, according to a popular rumor, he's making a harem of women, and was sighted on the rooftop eating lunch with over eight women at once! Just stay away from that Otamegane: he's bad news." A deafening silence reigned as Aoko let the words sink in. Yuuko was shocked. It turned out that his little quirk was actually pretty well known, and knowing that she had potentially let a womanizer to house – and _fed_ him, no less – chilled her to the bone. Still, Yuuko tried to think positively – proof before theory. Earlier, Keima had asked her about letting him have dinner at her house again, and she had obliged, so that would be the perfect time to ask him the question that was screwing with her mind.

"What kind of person is Keima Katsuragi!?

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_**Footnotes:**_

_**Aoko Aozaki: Reference to Tsukihime/Fate Stay Night/Mahou Tsukai no Yuru. Not the actual Miss Blue, for those wondering.**_

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**2.) If you liked this chapter, and want more, then please review, follow, and favorite this story!**

**Till we meet again...**


	5. Yuuko Kinoshita Route True End

**1.) Hello! Sorry for the late update, but I guess that's what you get when you release chapters early. Anyway, I guess I'm going to make the update schedule more ambiguous: the release date is from every week to every three weeks, with the updates happening around the second week. Got it?**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 05: Yuuko Kinoshita Route True End_

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_'This is it, the final event,'_ thought Keima, staring down the girl in front of him, who was returning it. It wasn't a glare of irritation or anger - it was a glare of caution, like the one "allies" wear to stop each other from stabbing each other in the back. Luckily for the Conquest, the eye-daggers flying back and forth across the table weren't as intense at that, or else Yuuko would've avoided him like the plague, much less let him dine with her in her own house. _'She probably found out about my infamous reputation in school. I doubt that she's naive enough to judge a person by word-of-mouth: she'll probably want to test me. I guess I should ace this one, just like all the others.'_

"So, Keima, how are your grades?" asked Yuuko, before putting the piece of sashimi into her mouth. Keima entered an analytic mode, his pupils narrowing much like Diana's whenever she was frustrated. The Capturing God broke down her question, using that, and the information that she was probably fed earlier, to find the underlying meaning: "Do you pay attention during class?"

"Pretty good, though it wasn't due to paying attention in class," said Keima, motioning towards where Mai-High theoretically was with his chopsticks. He was probably way off, but that didn't really matter, now did it? When Yuuko tilted her head, he continued, "I simply predicted the test questions based on the teacher's personality and the test material."

"B-But that's impossible," stated Yuuko. Keima internally agreed. It was impossible. There were just too many possible questions, even if it was narrowed down by teacher and material, for one person to memorize and internalize. Again, it was impossible. It was impractical too. Most of all, it was just out of the comprehensible grasp of Reality.

_'Too bad that I'm not a part of Reality,'_ said Keima internally, his ego getting a little too big again. Oh well, Haqua could handle it later, so let's get back to the story. Keeping the smirk from showing, he continued. "Well, why else would they let me game during class? I think you underestimate me a little, Yuuko Kinoshita."

_'Okay, so the 'obsessed with games' rumor was true... but isn't all that bad since it isn't interfering with his duty as a student? That doesn't make sense! Argh, this guy's driving me insane, just like... him. Clam down, Yuuko, before you use your FIST to bust him into a wall,'_ chanted the girl, deeply breathing in and out for a moment. While the young Kinoshita had her eyes shut, Keima smirked. He had this one in the bag.

"Now, are you done with this line of questioning?" said Keima, an empty plate in front of him. At that word, Yuuko tensed. Was he trying to get out of the hot-seat? And if it was, was it out of embarrassment, or nervousness? "If you are, I'd like to-"

"Hold it, Keima," interjected Yuuko, barely keeping herself from shouting. Her fist was clenched tight, ready to spring some prejudice on the poor gamer, though luckily for him, Yuuko kept it in check. "I have one more question, and then you can leave-"

"I wasn't going to leave," interrupted Keima, who was wondering if the girl could match the God of Conquests. He doubted it, but there was always a possibility. Sometimes Haqua would have a spark of brilliance, and... _that woman_ – not Haqua, mind you – had the ability to knock him from his throne at any time. He doubted that Yuuko would be that good, but if she was, then the Conquest would have to go in a different direction. "In fact, I was going to ask you a question."

"...Fine," said the former Class Representative, crossing her arms. She gave him her classic cold glare, honed to make even the bravest suitors break down. Of course, Keima was above those "bravest suitors", and matched her glare. "Rumor has it that you're forming a, for lack of a better term, harem. Is that true? Have I been letting a womanizer into my home?"

"A harem would mean that I'm in a romantic relationship with all of them, right?" The question perplexed Yuuko. If he was so smart, with him saying that she "had underestimated his intelligence," or whatever, why was he asking that? When Yuuko nodded, Keima continued. "Well, I'm not. I'm not dating any of them. They are simply people who I've saved."

"Saved? And why did you 'save' them?" asked Yuuko. That question was a reasonable one. People do things for a reward, even if the reward was just as simple as a smile of gratitude. The only people who didn't work for a decent reward would be miracle workers, and Keima didn't really look like one.

"Because that's what I do," said Keima. Shoving his hand into his pocket, he whipped out his PFP, flicked it on, and showed it to Yuuko. A still-image of a 2D girl crying on a guy's shoulders was flashed in front of Yuuko. "I help the girls in the game with their problems, because I think they deserve it. There's no difference between this and Reality: I believe that the heroines here need to be saved too. All I want is the True Ending for everyone, so please, let me help you with your problem too."

"W-What!?" Yuuko was shocked. The expression he had earlier was a defensive glare, with a couple of smirks thrown in every now and then. Now, a look of conviction was on his face, a genuine smile almost peeking through. Plus, he had known that she had a problem, even when she had tried so hard to keep up the "Perfect Student" guise. Suddenly, a weird feeling overwhelmed her body, as if her stomach had just dropped. All of a sudden, her fist started to… glow?

"You're obsessed with your twin brother, Hideyoshi Kinoshita, though you're not obsessed with him specifically, but with his- _gwah!_" cried Keima, a FIST slamming into his stomach with the force of a bullet train. And if the fist was a bullet train, Keima was a rag doll, flailing through walls till he landed outside the complex. Pain shot up his abdomen, and with his stomach all clenched up, it was hard to breathe. This wasn't like one of Haqua's ruthless beatings: this one was meant to really hurt him. Pushing hard on the ground with his thin arms, he managed to get a semblance of balance, and just in time to see a Yuuko jumping out of the hole she made with a crazed look on her face. "Damn, the Runaway Spirit! *Cough!* Elsie!"

"Kami Nii-sama, are you okay!?" hollered the bug demon on command, removing the invisibility that the Celestial Robe provided. She ran over to the poor gamer, his hand still hovering to his sore abdomen. Pulling his head up, he leered at the shrinking figure of Yuuko Kinoshita. Pushing up his glasses, he smirked a little too cockily for a guy who had just had his innards smashed to bits, and turned to Elsie.

"We must follow that girl!" said Keima, heroically pointing at the girl who had already run past the horizon. Elsie, like a proper follower, didn't question his motives at all (mostly because she didn't have enough wits to) and saluted. Twirling the broom in her hand like how a martial artist would wield a bo-staff, the Celestial Robe of hers was wrapped around the broom, leaving it looking like a hastily wrapped birthday present. The image was cemented in Keima's head when Elsie tied the excess Robe into a bow-like knot.

"Tada!" cheered the ever-happy devil, showing off her workmanship. "Now I don't have to carry you with the Celestial Robe anymore!" As Elsie mounted the broom like it was a horse, Keima gulped.

"You got this from that TV show last night, didn't you?" said Keima, remembering the show called "Phantasmoon", where there was a character called Magical Girl Amber, who rode (and wielded) a broom. When Elsie nodded, Keima had to lean back to keep himself from face faulting. The Robed broom in front of him just screamed "Get ready to fall off of me!" and while Keima wanted to escape Reality, he didn't want to escape it that way. Resigned to his fate, Keima sat behind Elsie, the close proximity making the latter blush. The blush only grew when, after the takeoff, Keima's hands jumped from his jean pocket (where his PFP was sheathed) to her waist, holding on tight.

"K-Kami Nii-sama!" screamed Elsie, as they were taken to where Yuuko was. Keima had only one thing on mind:

_"I can see the Ending!"_

* * *

"How did he see through me!?" yelled a frustrated, Weiss-fueled Yuuko, running away as she always did. She ran away from her Class, her friends, and her home, just to get away from him. And now, she had a new boy to run away from. The boy, Keima Katsuragi, reminded her that she wasn't the perfect little girl that she was thought to be. Why was that bad? She was obsessed with perfection. She wanted to be perfect in all aspects. Why else would she hide her BL books from everyone? She didn't know when it started, and frankly, she didn't care. That's who she was: a perfectionist. If you could aim for the stars, why aim for anything lower, right?

That train-of-thought was temporarily dropped when she "noticed" that she was heading towards a massive tree, in the forested area cutting Maijima off from the shoreline. Instead of going around, she just wanted to tear the tree down like all her other problems. With a cry, her FIST charged up, the Weiss giving her the power, the perfection that she desired. "Out of the _way!_"

A beam of light shot out of her balled up hand, smashing into the tree with the force of a wrecking ball, and if her FIST was a wrecking ball, the tree – which was easily three times her width and many, many times her height and weight – was a toothpick, easily cut down by the frustrated girl. Her frustration not satiated, she ran off, not noticing the ever-growing violet tattoo spiraling up her arm. Then, another obstacle appeared in the form of a descending Keima. "Snap out of it, Yuuko!"

"_Gh!_" grunted Yuuko, holding her arm, which was itching for release in the form of another super-charged FIST. Keima threw a pink… _thing_ her way, which spiraled up her arm, restraining it. Walking up to the girl, Keima put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes piercing through to her soul. She had the barely deniable urge to back away, while the Weiss-corrupted arm had the barely deniable urge to blow the man in front of Yuuko to smithereens.

"I know you're obsessed with the things that your brother could do with ease, that you couldn't do even if your life depended on it," said Keima, the bounded arm shaking even more. "But does that really matter!? Does being perfect really matter to you that much!?"

"Open up; tell me what you're thinking!"

"Get _away!_" said Yuuko, using her left hand to push Keima away, only for him to wrap his arms around her. Her eyes narrowed, and Keima expected her to throw a punch with her other fist, but instead, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and cried. Normally, crying is depicted as a beautiful thing: droplets of salty tears falling down to the ground. Not this time. Yuuko, with blood-shot eyes pouring out water like a fire hydrant, had to sniffle up her nose before snot leaked out her nostrils. "W-Why… why are you doing all this – being punched out of buildings, chasing down a girl for miles - for nothing in return!?"

"I'm not perfect, Yuuko," said Keima, pulling away just enough to see Yuuko's face. With her nose decongested, and her tears almost completely under control, she finally reached the "beautiful" stage of crying, and her arm finally stopped shaking. "Of course I'm doing this for something. I already told you why I'm doing this: I want to let you have your True Ending. A smile and a thank you wouldn't hurt either."

"Then… then how about… this?" Before Keima could ask, she leaned forward, catching his lips. Her pair felt soft, and tasted like berries. Before the kiss could be called anything but chaste, she broke it off, smiling at him, as the tattoo – and the Runaway Spirit – flew skyward.

_"Thank you, Keima."_

* * *

**_Footnotes:_**

**_Phantasmoon: Reference to Carnival Phantasm _**

* * *

**2.) Okay, I hope the ending was satisfying enough! Anyway, next chapter would be the explanation of the aftermath, and the introduction of a new heroine! This may take a while (heroine selection is a long process, folks), so be patient!**

**3.) Please support the story by subscribing, favorite-ing (I know, this isn't a real word, but whatever), and reviewing. Also, suggest new heroines!**

**Goodbye!**


	6. H----- S------- Route Part 1

**1.) I apologize for the just-decent quality of the chapter. I seem to have hit a writers block, so it took all I could to push this out. I think I'll be up to shape by the next chapter. I would've released this earlier, but I had to beta for someone (I'm looking at you, W******)**

**2.) Shout out to foldguy24 for letting me use his Heroine Parameter Chart!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai _nor do I own the crossover heroine.**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 06: H***** S******* Route Part 1_

* * *

It was midnight when Keima reached Cafe Grampa. The Conquest was over, and he had decided to let Elsie go ahead to deliver the Runaway Spirit to New Hell so that he could game while he walked back home. It had taken him a few hours – the forested area just happened to be on the other side of Maijima – but he had made it without his poor constitution failing him. Right now, he was standing out side of the door, his muscles tensing. He realized that he couldn't just stroll right on in. Why? The lights were on, and since Mari made sure to turn them off every night, it meant that _someone_ was up, and with his luck, he knew that that someone had a murderous intent. When you have a bunch of inhumanly strong women visiting you constantly, you learn to be cautious.

"I knew this mod would come in handy," said Keima, pulling out his PFP. Pressing the buttons in a specific pattern ( ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A ), a switch popped up at the side. Aiming the handheld console at the weather vane – the little cockerel that shows the wind direction – Keima flicked the switch, a small grappling hook shot out of the side, latching itself onto the poor wooden poultry. Flicking the switch again, Keima shot through the night sky thanks to the grappling hook, landing roughly onto the roof. Coughing a little, Keima pulled himself up. "Now where is that panel? Hm... aha!"

What Keima was looking for was the secret panel that led to his room. After getting launched into the sky for the nth time (courtesy of either the Haqua or Vulcan airlines), Keima had decided to make a secret passage that only he knew. It was really effective, though the girls were getting more and more suspicious... Keima shoved those thoughts out of his mind, as he flipped up the panel and jumped into his room... where his executors were waiting.

"Keima... going outside behing my back... kissing other girls..." said Kanon, who had lost control to her stun gun-wielding yandere persona. Her short hair floated ominously upwards, a purple miasma leaking out of her body. In her hands were her signature "safe" stun-guns, both modified to cause as much pain to the victim without actually killing him. Kanon's blank stare was the complete opposite of Keima's sharp glare, which was directed at the torture machines in Kanon's hands. Keima thought, _'How in the world did they find me? Unless Haqua tagged me the night before... oh good Goddess why!?'_

"Yes, we should punish this dastard till the very though of being unfaithful causes him pain," added Luna. When Keima tried to look up, a knife blocked his view, black miasma oozing from the indubitably sharp blade. Just a mere three centimeters more, and Keima would have to game with one eye. All of a sudden, the two figures magically grew to the size of giants trying to scare the wit (and crap) out of Keima. They were successful too.

"Wait wait... no, not there! _Noooooo!_"

* * *

"Hehe, sorry, Keima. I kinda lost control of myself back there," said Kanon, bowing in front of the charred Keima. Currently, Kanon's tasers were steaming from overuse, and Luna's knife was stained with a suspicious red liquid. Luckily for Keima, the pink-ette's yandere mode had worn off, and Luna was currently satisfied with the pulverized state Keima was in. Plus, Haqua was surprisingly absent from the beating: Keima knew that he would've been in an even worse state had the scythe-wielder joined the party. Slowly, Keima got up, wincing all the way. He was going to have to get some defense stat-boosters, or else he might be finished for good next time. "Are you okay?"

"...Nothing that a little gaming won't fix," said Keima, his frown slowly turning into a smile. No more Real girl to Capture equals more gaming time! With his hands shivering out of excitement, Keima jumped from his seat and into his swivel chair, where six controllers were mounted. As a switch on the gaming chair was flicked, six consoles were fired up at once, as six monitors flared to life. Keima's hand started flying across the various controllers, as six different girls appeared on the different screens. A Reverted Tsukiyo decided to leave quickly, before the different 2D heroines could stir Luna into taking action against their poor 2D (and Keima's 3D) souls. Kanon, on the other hand, pulled out her MP3 player and earphones and jumped into the chair with Keima, who didn't even notice the poor pink-ette, and snuggled with the gamer. That was her idea of paradise: to always be with the guy that gave her the strength to stand on her own two feet. Just being with him, with each of them doing their little thing, was enough for the idol. Of course, that moment of paradise was quickly interrupted by – surprise, surprise – another girl.

"Kami Nii-sama, the Sensor's acting all weird!" cried Elsie, banging on the locked door. Sighing, Keima picked up Kanon bridal-style, placed her on the bed, and answered the door. Opening the door, Keima was instantly smacked to the ground by Elsie's broom. Apparently, Elsie didn't have the patience to wait for a measly five seconds for Keima to open the door, so she had decided that busting down the obstacle separating her from her Kami-sama was the best course of action. Obviously, she was wrong. Keima jumped back up, and was about to chastise Elsie real intensely till he noticed the Sensor on her head. It was half red – way different from the usual white color scheme it had on. Also, the normal "doro doro" that the Sensor usually sounded off was distorted and sporadic: almost as if it was detecting something different. Keima plucked the skull-shaped tool from its perch, and looked at it. When he moved it around, the red part would always move towards a specific direction, almost like...

"...A compass!?" said Keima. "But where could it be pointing too- wait... there can't be a new Heroine already!" It wasn't an absurd idea: the Conquest was just over, and a new Crossover Heroine wasn't too surprising. With the miasma coming back, another heroine would be needed to keep it at bay. Explanations could be made later: they needed to reach the Heroine first. "Elsie, prepare to fly!"

* * *

"Are you sure that no one followed us, Elsie?" asked Keima, hiding behind a cage of dodgeballs that just happened to be there. They were in the track-and-field oval – one of Ayumi's favorite places – though her favorite place seems to have been tampered with: a blue, seemingly bottomless pit was in the grassy center of the oval. At the Capturing God's question, Elsie responded with a cute grin and a salute.

"Hai, Kami Nii-sama!" said Elsie, just as something happened. Remember the silent, majestic appearance of Yuuko Kinoshita? Yeah, none of that majesty was there. Instead of summoning a staircase, the portal closed in on itself, then suddenly opened, spewing out... _something_. That something was flying through the air a few meters above the ground. Instead of extending their arms to slow the descent, the _thing_ did the complete opposite: she curled up into a ball and started spinning mid-air. At the height of her parabola, she thundered down towards the ground. Like a gymnast, she raised up her arms in victory once her feet touched the ground. How weird were these girls gonna get!? Once Elsie held out a card with a number ten on it, Keima just had to sigh. "Oh, yeah, here are her parameters, Kami-sama!"

Taking the Celestial Robe, Keima read the statistics while Elsie carefully aimed the Heroine tagger:

* * *

___Name: Haruhi Suzumiya_

___Age: 16_

___Gender: Female_

___Eye Color: Brown_

___Hair Color: Brown_

___Hair length: Shoulder-length_

___Weight: 44 kg_

___Height: 158 cm (5'2)_

___B/W/H: 81/50/83_

___Birthday: October 8_

___Blood type: AB_

___School: Maijima High School_

___Class: 1-D_

___Hobbies: Searching for time travelers, espers, aliens, etc._

___Residence: XXX_

* * *

"...Time travelers?" asked Keima, surprised. Looking over the cart of dodgeballs, he peered at the heroine. Everything about her seemed normal, but something... something was just out-of-place. Like how Yuuko had a majestic aura, this Haruhi person had an undefinable one. She just seemed... different, different from the rest. The word that would best suit her would be "strange". Just one look at her was all it took for Keima to label her that: after all, it took one to know one, right? A shake shook him out of his reverie.

"Kami Nii-sama," said Elsie, pointing at the new heroine, "she's coming this way!" She was right: she must've seen them. Quickly, Keima flicked the Robe out of its tablet type state and tossed it over him and the demon, making them invisible, just as Haruhi passed by. The brunette scratched her head out of confusion, her unoccupied hand on her small hip.

"I could've sworn that there was an alien here," said a frustrated Haruhi. Keima took this time to analyze her personality: she was assuming, and was used to getting her way. Of course, that was only one sentence – Keima would need more to understand the person named Haruhi Suzumiya. "Oh well, maybe I'll find some at my new school."

She kicked the poor cart out of frustration, and left, leaving Keima to his thought and Elsie to her lack of thoughts._ 'The new Heroine seems to be the 'Rich Ojou' type, but without the richness or the elegance. All that's left is the arrogance of a noble... though her hobbies seem to clash with that... and aliens, really? Oh well...'_

_'...let the Conquest begin!' _

* * *

_**Footnotes:**_

_**Haruhi Suzumiya: The female lead of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. Known for her domineering and eccentric personality, Haruhi isn't your ordinary schoolgirl, having the ability to manipulate the world around her. Check her Wikia page for more info **_

* * *

**3.) There: the next heroine is Haruhi Suzumiya. I think you can all think of what's going to happen. Also, I haven't watched too many Melancholy episodes, so please help me by sending me reviews!**

**4.) Please support the story by reviewing, favorite-ing, and subscribing! It just makes my day when someone sends me a long review to read.**

* * *

**If you've been reading TWOSK also, then you probably know what's coming next: quotable quotes unrelated to the story! This is to replace the generic goodbyes that I've been giving.**

**_"If you give up on yourself, you give up on the world." - Joshua Kiryu from Subarashiki Kono Sekai_  
**


	7. Haruhi Suzumiya Route Part 2

**1.) Sorry again for the late update. RL (and a Certain little co-written fic- no, don't check my profile!) sorta got in the way. Plus, I had to watch a few SHnY episodes, and marathon a few SHnY fanfics. Any suggestions, Haruhi fans?**

**2.) For all those saying "Since you've done Yuuko pretty well, you should be able to do great with Haruhi": I don't know. We'll see. Since Yuuko's a background character, she only has one or two dimensions of character, so she's easier to do. Plus, no one would get mad if I messed around a little with a background character's... er... character. Since Haruhi is a complicated female lead, I'm not allowed as much freedom. Bear (not bare) with me, Haruhi fans, and pray to your God that I get this right.**

**3.) Haqua fans may/may not like this chapter. It depends if you like more Haqua time at the cost of adding _another_ quirk to her character.**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Flag 07: Haruhi Suzumiya Route Part 2_

* * *

Keima yawned as he made his way down the steps, donning eye-bags as evidence of his all-nighter. Same as usual... right? Wrong: something was amiss. Keima dragged his tired gaze over to the kitchen, where Elsie was chopping up vegetables for a Haqua-styled meal. Nothing wrong there. Near Elsie was Mari Katsuragi, who was wiping down the counter to prepare the cafe for some customers. Again, there was nothing wrong with that. Keima put his hand on his chin: he knew that something was wrong, but what? The answer lied in Haqua du Lot Herminium, who had been absent from the beating the poor gamer the day before. She was blushing - nothing out of place there, since she usually blushed unconsciously in the Capturing God's presence - but what was weird was that she was blushing at the book in her hand.

"O-Oh my, he's so forward..." muttered Haqua, her blush growing as she flipped the page. Now Keima was curious. Pocketing the PFP that he was about to draw, Keima slid into the seat right beside Haqua, casually slinging an arm over her shoulder, and said, "What are you reading?"

"Good Goddess!" yelped Haqua, jumping from Keima's grasp, as the book - and the fake cover - flew out of her hands and onto the ground. She blushed even harder, if that was even possible, and held out her hand, her trusty scythe flying into it. "W-What're you doing up so early, Keima!? Wait... y-you haven't seen what was in the book, right? Right!?"

"Luckily for you, I haven't-"

"For the sake of my dignity!" cried the very disoriented devil, as she swung at the poor gamer, who wasn't able to dodge it thanks to her skill and his lack of skill. With a yelp, he slammed into a wall, which instantly knocked the wind out of him. Haqua then proceeded to beat the memory of the book out of him. Mari, looking at the two teens and sighed a sigh of nostalgia, remembering how her biker friends always beat Keima's dad up till she finally warmed up to the goody two shoes. "Take this, take that, take- wait, so you didn't see what I was reading?"

"Ugh... no, Haqua, I didn't," moaned Keima, clutching his stomach. In response, Haqua smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of her head with her free hand. Since all her attention was on Keima, Haqua didn't notice Elsie, who had snuck behind the scythe-wielder to pick up the book. She picked up the fake cover - a cookbook cover sleeve - tossed it aside, and picked up the actual book. On the cover was a black haired teen male pinned to a wall by a bespectacled brunette. The latter had his hands on the former's shoulders, forehead to forehead, so the whole photo was homosexually provocative.

"Haqua, why do you have 'BL Inferno'?" asked Elsie, eyeing the two guys on the cover. Instantly, Haqua froze, as straight as a board. She whipped around, looked at the bug demon and the Yaoi book in her hand, and returned her attention to Keima, who was leering at her. The message was clear: "What the heck!?"

"Um... it's not what it looks like?" asked Haqua. "Hey, what's with that stare of pity!?" She was addressing the blank look that Keima was giving her. The boy continued to just stare at her, all respect for her - however big, however small - lost, as he shook his head and pulled out his PFP. As Haqua tried to convince the Capturing God that she wasn't really into that stuff, Elsie cheerfully put the trouble-causing book down, and retreated back into the kitchen to prepare a few bentos. "Okay, okay, so when you told me to come inspect Yuuko's apartment for any clues left behind, I found that book. It piqued my curiosity, and decided to read it. I was only curious: I didn't find it interesting or anything like that, honest! You gotta believe me!"

"I guess that explains why I haven't seen you on the night of my return from the Conquest: you were too busy marathon-ing Yuuko's Yaoi collection," summarized Keima, saving his game. Pocketing his PFP, he left behind the BL otaku in favor of taking a little bathroom break. The flat chested devil thawed out of her state of panic and into a state of rage, steam spewing forth from her nostrils.

"Fine, whatever! It's not like I care about your opinion, baka!" shouted Haqua, as Keima shut the bathroom door with a thud. "Baka..."

* * *

"Hey, have you heard of that the weird 'esper-obsessed' transferee Haruhi Suzumiya?"

"Yeah. She's really weird. A shame too - she's a beauty, and a prodigy of 1-A. Too bad she's a freak, just like that Otamegane."

"Yeah! A dorky match made in heaven!"

The two NPCs quieted down as the Otamegane in question walked past them, a bubbly Elsie in tow. Keima ingested the info as he reached his desk and chair. _'So she's an outcast, just like me? Hmm... I was getting that vibe last night. I wonder if she lives up to the hype.'_

As soon as Keima's derriere hit the seat, the doors slammed open, revealing a lithe brunette with a mischievous smirk. The boy noticed that she had a radically different hairstyle from the night before: her formerly shoulder-length hairstyle was now curled into two pom-poms, one on either side: an ox horn hairstyle. It wasn't the haircut that Keima was curious about, though. It was the reason why she changed it. Who would do that? Only a person as strange as her would. She shoved her face into his view, removing his thoughts and blocking his game. Before he could move her aside, she quickly said, "Are you an alien?"

Keima almost fell out of his seat. "E-Excuse me-"

"No? I should've known," said the brunette known as Haruhi Suzumiya, a hand on her chin. Keima's sye twitched. He never really liked the eccentric NPCs, and the eccentric heroines were barely tolerable in his eyes. It didn't help that she was all up in his face, blocking the PFP from view. "You probably aren't an esper either. You could be a time traveler, but they usually wear lab coats. Hm... are you a slider?"

Instead of entertaining the girl, he proceeded to ignore her, looking up at a mirror to continue gaming. Of course, the hyper girl wasn't deterred, like she was used to not getting people's attention at first. The way she still stood confidently meant that she always managed to nab someone's attention the second time. Keima sighed. She was weird! At least he kept his weirdness to himself. He sweatdropped, having made fun of himself. An ear shattering clap knocked him out of his reverie. "Ah, you must not want to talk about it here! C'mon!"

Keima, shocked my her forwardness and blatant ignorance of anyone else's opinion, slowly backed away from the girl. She really was like him: she ignored Reality, just like the Capturing God. He kind of understood why he disliked her now. "H-Hold on for just a-"

"Let's go!" cheered the girl, grabbing Keima by the cravat. She tugged him out of the classroom as fast as a rocket, Keima barely able keep a hold on his beloved PFP. As the people around the two of them blurred, he noticed that she was leading him down a familiar path: the path to the rooftop, to be specific. She tackled the doors open, the metal panels swinging with a loud bang. Once on the rooftop, Haruhi's grin widened, her arms stretching to the apex of their reach. Of course, she had Keima's cravat in her right hand, so he was dragged along for the ride, his feet dangling off of the ground. "Okay, spill the beans, slider!"

"Put me down first!" yelled Keima. If she wanted to play the douchebag game, he wanted to show her that he could too. They glared at each other, the eyes of the Capturing God matching the eyes of the God of the Universe. After a short stalemate, Haruhi sighed and dropped the boy, the latter stumbling a little to regain his balance. "Hmph..."

"Now tell me your objectives. Man, this is _so_ exciting: my first slider sighting! Ooh, how did you get your dimension hopping abilities? No- which dimension did you hop to first?" questioned Haruhi, again all up in Keima's face. He not-so-gently shoved her away, a disgusted look on his face as he pointed a finger at her, his lenses glinting.

"First of all," said Keima, "don't touch me, slave of the Real! And second, I'm not a slider: I am a God of Conquests!" pronounced Keima, Haruhi not lowering her glare even as she stared down the finger in between her eyes. Her smile still hasn't faded, though.

"Trust me! I know that you aren't used to this dimension: always retreating to your 'PFP'," said Haruhi, motioning towards the silver device. He quickly sheathed it, before her eye-daggers could damage it. "AKA your communicating device! I never knew sliders had an organization! So who were you always contacting? Your superior? Maybe-"

"Listen! I am _not_ a slider, so leave me alone!" said Keima, turning away from the girl. He opened a hand, his PFP flying into it. He decided to toss another metaphorical arrow at her. "Making baseless accusations... how foolish."

"_Objection!_" yelled Haruhi, taking a very familiar pose. Slamming her hands on the bench she was behind, she pointed an exaggerated finger back at Keima, insulted by his insult. Time to add "easy to goad" onto her pile of characteristics. "You're always fiddling around with that 'PFP', and you're always muttering to yourself in the classroom, and when you're not in the classroom, you're always approached by at least one 'harem-er', or so the rumors go. They're your-"

"Those 'harem-ers' are my lost lambs," said Keima, who had turned around again towards the doors. He slid through them, just as the warning bell rang. Haruhi's grin didn't waver: she still had faith in herself, for some egotistical reason. _'I'm so close to finding something supernatural! You're a tough nut to crack, 'Keima Katsuragi', but I'm gonna getcha!'_

* * *

"How ironic. She herself, a slider, is trying to find a slider," muttered Keima, surrounded by the hosts who were chatting among themselves. They seem to have made little groups: Tsukiyo stuck with Yui, Shiori stood by Tenri, and Kanon, whenever she was present, seemed to like Ayumi the most. It wasn't all that surprising. They were different people with different likes and dislikes, all united under the same flag: of course they wouldn't be completely comfortable with each other at first, especially since they were all rivals. Speaking of rivalry, all of them seemed to have adjusted their schedules for more Keima-time: Kanon begged for some more schooltime, Ayumi spent less time at the tracks, Shiori didn't go to the library as much, Tsukiyo always made sure that there was a vacant seat on the bench, and Tenri and Yui...

...Well, they were Tenri and Yui.

"Why were you mean to Haruhi, Kami Nii-sama?" asked Elsie. All the Hosts' eyes twiched at the same time. Yet another heroine, another obstacle to their beloved's affection. They looked at each other: deciding that they'd watch Keima closely this time around.

"I needed to figure out what archetype she belonged in," said Keima, eyes glued to his handheld. Then his mouth curled into a wide smile. "And I think I really like this archetype." At that moment, the violent Goddesses tried to Switch with their Hosts, with the latter only giving the slightest effort to hold them back. Yep, they were all pissed. "She's a self-Capturing target! All I have to do is exist, maybe give a little effort here and there, and that Spirit will be evacuated. Woo hoo, more gaming time for me!"

"W-Wait," said Ayumi, "so you _don't_ like her?"

"Not really. I just wanted some more game time," said Keima, who was still saving 2D heroines. "Why?"

All six Hosts blushed. "N-Nothing."

* * *

**3.) Is it me, or does the ending feel rushed? Oh well. By the way, the Haruhi that was summoned is the Haruhi who hasn't met Kyon yet.**

**4.) Like the story? If so, please support the story by adding this to your favorites and alerts lists. Also, drop a review! It can be a short one (though I prefer long ones). Don't know what to comment on? Tell me about this Haruhi's character!**

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**Quotable (and random) Quotes:**

* * *

_**"Remember, Pit, you won't be fighting alone out there."**_

_**"You're going to send me a machine-gun-robot girlfriend? (Anyone who guesses who she is gets a virtual cookie!)"**_

_**"...No, I'll be guiding you on your journey."**_

_**"That's manager speak for 'fighting alone'." - Palutena and Pit, Kid Icarus: Uprising**_


	8. Haruhi Suzumiya Route Part 3

**1.) Hey, it's a punctual chapter! Rejoice, TCOGK fans!**

**2.) Collective review response: I'm glad that everyone's fine with Haqua's BL lover-ness. I though that some rabid Haqua fan would flame the fic for it. Luckily, he seems to be nonexistent. And no, there are no new SHnY episodes. I've only gotten into anime last year, so I haven't watched SHnY... till now. I'm skipping Endless Eight, though. I'm not fond of torture.**

**Disclaimer is still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 08: Haruhi Suzumiya Route Part 3_

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"My name is Haruhi Suzumiya," said the girl with the pom-pom hair, introducing herself to the class. "I have no interest in ordinary humans. However, if any of you are aliens, time-travelers, or espers, then please come and see me."

"What're you watching, Kami Nii-sama?" asked Elsie, peeking over his shoulders. All the Hosts (including Haqua) were cooking in the kitchen, as Mari finished off the last customers of the night, while Keima sat on the couch and used his PFP. What he was doing with his PFP was what stirred Elsie's curiosity. Usually, the Capturing God played games; specifically galges of all kinds. On one day, a blonde girl with sharp eyes was on the screen, and the next day, a blue-nette with a huge blush took her place. Unlike the usual routine, Keima was watching a video of a girl – a 3D girl – and wasn't trying to tear his eyes out of their sockets. "Isn't she the Capture target?"

At those words, seven heads peeked from the corner, and the seven heads were ignored. "Yes, Elsie, she is. I have the video already, so I might as well get a deeper feel of her archetype...thanks for the video, Elsie."

"Y-You're welcome, Kami-sama! I a-aim to please!" quickly replied Elsie, saluting. Instead of saluting with her vacant hand, she smacked her broom to her forehead, knocking herself to the ground. Keima muttered a "same idiot as always", and switched from the clip to a galge. The seven heads – which were still looking at the boy – glared.

"Keima, the selfishly ignorant dastard... is actually being considerate and appreciative!?" whisper-shouted Haqua, causing the other heads to look at her. "I know that he was giving only the barest amount of kindness, but this is Nasty Katsuragi that we're talking about. Unless he needed something, he'd never show any basic human emotions aside from annoyance, anger, or apathy! He had no reason to butter up Elsie – she already follows his every command. To just hand out appreciation like that... this is a big deal!"

"Well, Elsie is closest to her," said Kanon, all heads whipping towards her. "She was with my Keima from the start, even before Ayumi. She's always showing him her full devotion, and he's always-"

"Hey, what's with 'my Keima'?" interjected Haqua, poking the idol's head. In response, she beamed a very yandere-ish smile, her hand slipping into her pocket for her taser. Haqua, noticing the idol's actions, held out her hand, ready to summon her signature scythe at any moment. The two glared daggers at each other, and unfortunately for the other members of the harem, they were all caught in the crossfire. Tsukiyo remained indifferent, hiding her emotions inside; Yui felt uncomfortable that the balance between the more... emotional harem-ers has shaken; Shiori timidly raised a book titled "A Certain Magical Index Vol. 1" and hid behind it; Ayumi was fed up with the tension. The runner in question thrashed about, breaking their line.

"Stop this!" cried Ayumi, standing above all the floored girl. She was tired of all the rivalry and competition. As a girl who really valued her friendships, she didn't want to fight the other girls for just one guy. Sure, the guy was a cute actor, capable of being anything you desired... but that wasn't the point. Ayumi was someone who valued the invisible ties between friends, and she'd rather stop running than give up those bonds. "Don't you see that he's tearing us apart!?"

Before the rest could nod in response, the doorbell rang. Since Mari had just closed up shop, the person at the door must have business with the Katsuragis. Not a lot of people for Mari would come this late, and Chihiro was probably in her room, dreaming of being an idol like Kanon, so the only person who could be at the door was-

"Hide till I give you the signal to get up," whispered Keima, who had ran to the girls at the sound of the doorbell. Silently obeying, all the girls fled to the bar, some hiding in cabinets, some hiding under tables. "I'll see you later."

"I'm coming in," declared the girl at the door, twisting the doorknob and swinging the door open. Once she saw Keima, she beamed, and made a beeline towards him, only to be intercepted by a certain bug demon. The enigmatic girl stared the devil up, identifying her signature broom, skull, and naïve face. "Hey, Elsie."

"H-Have we met before?" asked Elsie, surprised. Usually, you'd have to meet a person before knowing their name. Even if you knew it beforehand, you'd probably ask the person to confirm it. To be so confident in her answer...she really was just like Keima. "Anyway, the store is closed, so I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave."

"The sign says 'OPEN'," said the girl, pointing at the sign. Elsie, confused, walked past the girl and looked at the sign. Yes, it did say open, which was weird. She was sure that Mari had changed the sign just a few minutes ago. Quickly walking back to the intruder, Elsie prepared to apologise and ask for the girl to leave when the girl in question raised a hand to stop her. "Anyway, I'm not here for some chow. I'm here for Keima."

"What do you want, Haruhi?" asked the boy in question, appearing out of nowhere with PFP in hand. Yes, the Capture Target came to him. He glared at the eccentric girl, who smirked in response. Even though he knew that the Conquest would go faster if she was the one who set the pace, it still ticked the control freak off. "And how did you find out my sister's name? Lemme guess: blackmail."

"We have a winner!" said Haruhi, still keeping on the annoying grin that was plastered onto her face. "Yeah, I blackmailed one of the English teachers using some random third year. Seriously, the mundane people here are pushovers!"

"Tell me about it," replied Keima, running a hand through his hair. "You probably know how I got permission to play with my PFP-"

"Slider communicator."

"-during class, with your incessant nosiness. Anyway, you're probably here to get some info out of me directly, now that you have information to trade."

"Good. You're the only one who seems to get it," said Haruhi, grabbing onto Keima, who protested profusely at contact with someone of the Real. Apparently, he didn't like contact that he didn't initiate. "Come, I know just the place."

"H-Hold it!"

_*Scene Change*_

The Capturing God was in a glade. Despite the light pollution that the nearby city gave off, the stars - all the stars - still shone brightly, covering the night sky with light. Despite the fact that the forested area near Maijima City had no glades, they were in one...

...and despite the fact that Haruhi had dragged his face on the ground for five kilometers, it hadn't falled off yet. "Couldn't you just lead me here, or maybe slow down a little!?"

"Hey, if I didn't hurry up, we might've missed the stars," said Haruhi, looking up at the celestial bodies. Raking her hands through her hair, she removed all the pins holding her hairstyle in place. As she did that, her hair unfurled into its untempered state, her hair falling to her waist, much like Kusunoki. "Anyway, let's start the interrogations."

"Why do you change your hairstyle all the time? Your school info sheet picture has you in a ponytail, while you had an ox horn hairstyle earlier today. Why change it?" asked Keima, knowing that he let slip that he had investigated into her background too. As the girl pocketed her accessories, she continued to stare at the sky, just like a certain moon obsessed heroine. The difference was that Tsukiyo observed the moon: Haruhi seemed to favor the stars.

"To attract aliens," said the girl, finally turning towards the beaten up Keima. "Anything wrong with that, Mr. 'I'm-not-a-slider'?"

"I don't think the aliens - if they even exist - will be able to spot your hairstyles from space," said Keima, playing with his unsheathed PFP. "Maybe you need something bigger?" He didn't know why he was entertaining her very crazy thoughts, but he just felt that he had to, for some weird reason. Little did the bespectacled gamer know that it was all thanks to an unconscious effort on Haruhi's part.

"Hmm, maybe," responded Haruhi. "Slider-"

"Capturing God."

"-do you think aliens are out there?" asked Haruhi. Keima pondered the question. If Goddesses, Devils, and magic could exist, why couldn't aliens? It's entirely possible; it just hasn't been proven. In fact, Haruhi herself was a slider, albeit an unconscious one, but that wasn't the point. The point was that if all these things could exist, then aliens probably existed too- wait, why was he seriously thinking about he question!? Something was wrong here.

"Why not?" replied Keima, pocketing his PFP. He needed all of his attention to figure out what was affecting him. Was it her overpowering personality? No: his indifference usually shielded him from those kinds of people. Maybe... it was the Runaway Spirit. That could be it. Before she dragged him to the glade that they were in, she was enthusiastic and confident. Now, she was a melancholic mess, questioning the ideals that she stood beside so firmly. Was the mood swing the Spirit's fault? "Why are you so interested in aliens and espers anyway?"

"...When I was a kid, I was taken to a baseball game with my parents. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people there: the packed stadium held around fifty thousand people. Still, that was just a small percentage of the population of Japan, and Japan's population is just a percentage of a percentage of Earth's population. So many people learning the same stuff, working the same job, and living the same life... I don't want to be just some other person: I want to be special, even if the chances of me, out of all people in this world, becoming something different is very, very slim. That's why I try my hardest to search for aliens, espers, and whatnot."

"That's a bunch of nonsense," said Keima. Haruhi grit her teeth, balling her hands up. "And I thought we were the same." The earth started to shake, almost causing Keima to lose his balance. He looked at Haruhi, who seemed to be glaring intensely at him. "This is not how it's supposed to work! You're supposed to want to find something special because it's what you want to be, not just because you want to separate yourself from the rabble! That's tainting the meaning of special- gwah!"

"Just shut _up!_" cried Haruhi, slamming her fist into Keima's stomach. He flew across the glade till his back connected with the solid trunk of a tree, sliding down to a slump on the ground. He tried to get up, but the tremors of the ground refused to give him his balance back. "What do you know!? For all I know, you could just be a zombie, going through the motions with gadget in hand. I don't want to be like that!"

"Heh... hehehe... _ha ha ha ha ha!_" laughed Keima, and despite the intensity of the shaking, he stood up, his hand braced against the tree for support. "You remind me of someone. She felt too normal, and wanted to escape that by finding someone special, so that by being beside that special someone, she could be special too. Let me tell you the same thing that I told her."

He started to make his way towards Haruhi, who stood still out of shock. Due to the tremors, the bespectacled boy had to take big, slow steps, but neither one of them doubted that he slowly made progress. "Am I boring, generic, mean, special? The one who decides that isn't an esper, a slider, or some other 'special' person!"

Keima, now a foot away from the girl, put his hands on her shoulders, the tremors fading. "The one who decides that is _me!_ All of that applies for you too!" A deafening silence feigned over the glade, the stars shining above the two of them. Bathed in the Celestial light, Haruhi looked up to Keima, who looked right back at her. Closing her eyes, Haruhi gulped, subtly telling Keima that what she was about to ask next was important.

"...I-Is the harem rumor true?" asked Haruhi, blushing a little. Keima nearly fell over out of surprise.

"W-What!?"

"Just answer the question!" threatened the flushed Haruhi, fist poised to strike. Keima sweatdropped.

"...Yes?" That didn't seem to be the answer she wanted, but luckily for the gamer's health, she chose not to slug him.

"...I'll see you tomorrow, Keima Katsuragi," said Haruhi, face still mad and flushed. She then ran off, leaving Keima behind in the clearing.

"Couldn't you at least give me directions home!?"

_*Scene Change*_

Once Keima got home, he made a beeline for his room, which was surprisingly absent of angry weapon wielding Hosts. Thanking a random deity, he pulled out his PFP, but suddenly felt drowsy. His knees buckled, and he was barely able to guide the fall to his bed. With a soft thud, Keima fell asleep.

Too bad he wouldn't wake up in his bed the next day.

* * *

**3.) I think I did good. Hopefully I did Haruhi justice.**

**4.) Reviews make me a happy (and more productive) writer, so please review!**

**5.) EDIT: FFn is messing up my Horizontal Lines (AKA my line breaks) for some weird reason, so if you don't see it, I'm sorry. Luckily, I marked the scene changes with text instead of the lines. I'd like my HLs back, though.**

**_"I'll shatter that illusion of yours!" - Touma Kamijou, A Certain Magical Index_**


	9. Haruhi Suzumiya Route True End

**1.) Welcome back! Since I have school coming up (and college entrance exams too), I've decided to release this chapter early, since I won't have time to this Sunday (when its supposed to be due). **

**2.) Also, I apologize to all TWOSK fans: it will not be updated on its intended date.**

**3.) Haruhi fans will definitely recognize this setting. I've tried to change a bit of the words and the details to keep it a little fresh, but I kept is similar too so that Haruhi purists won't bring me to the guillotine. Well, bringing her into the World Only Keima Knows is already sending me to their Death Row, but whatever.**

**Disclaimer is still in effect.**

**Enjoy!**

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_Flag 09: Haruhi Suzumiya Route True End_

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"Where am I?" asked Keima to himself, getting up from his supine position on the floor. He seemed to be in a baseball field he's never been to in a _school_ he's never been to. It was just one mystery after another. Where was he, how did he get here, and why was he here? Also, why was the sky such a dull gray, why was the _world_ a dull gray, and- "What the-"

_**CRASH!**_ A building far off in the distance was felled by a blue... _thing_ the size of a super-sized Hinoki Kasuga. It stomped around haphazardly, aimless, only existing to destroy. Keima started to sweat bullets. Was this a Level Four Spirit at work!? Looking around, he noticed that there were more and more giants just like it. He was shaken out of his frozen shake by a hand on his arm. His head whipped around to see the cause of it all.

_Haruhi Suzumiya._

"Keima, where are we!?" said Haruhi, scared. "All I remember is hitting the sack at home, and then waking up in one of the nearby benches! What is going on!?"

"I don't know," replied Keima, taking Haruhi's hand and running away from the colossal being, speeding off as fast as his non-athletic legs could take him. He was pretty sure that having Haruhi smashed to a pulp by one of those _things_ wouldn't bode well for the Conquest. "Let's just try to get away from the giant first!"

"W-Wait! Let go of me!" said Haruhi, digging her heels into the ground to effectively stop Keima's beeline to the gate of the place. As a result, the God fell to the ground. Keima sent her a glare, and with a sigh, Haruhi let up, though only enough to let Keima walk. "I'm still mad at you, y'know."

"For what!?" complained Keima, his blood starting to boil. They finally made it to the gate, and luckily for them, the giants were too preoccupied by smashing towers into rubble to bother with two puny humans. "Look, we can talk this over when we're outside this place- _what!?_"

He should've known that their escape wouldn't be so easy. When Keima tried to get outside the gate, an invisible force pushed back. Haruhi tried to punch the force, but is was as effective as punching a titanium wall. Any effort to muscle their way out of the place was futile. It was like they were in a glass dome surrounding the place. The short answer was this. "We're trapped!"

"Nice observation, Sherlock," commented Haruhi. Keima glared at her. She made sure to return the favor. Keima rolled his eyes. They didn't have any time for Boke-Tsukkomi acts! They needed to find a way out of this, and fast. The giants were slowly but surely approaching the location, as if they were attracted to the both of them. "Where do we go now?"

"Into the school building," said Keima, running under the sign "North High" and into the shoe locker area with Haruhi in tow. No, they didn't put away their shoes or anything like that. First of all, they didn't have a locker to put their outdoor shoes into. Second, they were in kind of a hurry. As they ran all around the school, looking for a suitable shelter from the blue entities, Haruhi stopped, kicked open a door, and bolted in, bringing Keima with her.

"What was that for!?" cried Keima, dusting himself off as he got up. Haruhi didn't respond. Curious that she didn't supply a witty remark, Keima made his way to the spot in front of her. She was frozen. No, not ice-cold frozen, but shocked frozen. Keima didn't know why. There was nothing in the room that was shocking: it was a simple room, containing a healthily sized bookshelf, a maid costume, a mini-kitchen of sorts, a bunny costume, a board game, another costume, a banner with "SOS Brigade" on it, _another costume_, and more stuff. Alone, they were all mundane things, but together in the same room? A little weird. Also, if Keima's quick and observant eyes could be trusted, didn't the room belong to the Literature Club? Why would there be a clothes rack and a mini-kitchen in a Literature club room!? "Hey, Haruhi. Haruhi?"

"This place feels familiar," said Haruhi, walking towards the front desk with a pyramidal nameplate with the word _danchou_ - Brigade Chief - on it. After touching the pyramid, she sat down at the desk, and Keima could almost see the nostalgia overcome her. "And those giants... I don't think they're trying to harm us. In fact, I think they're trying to meet us! Maybe they're aliens! Maybe..."

As she got up to continue her monologue while pacing, Keima went about to find clues. It was obvious that it was the Spirit at work, but for some reason, the boy felt anxious, as if the World Only He Knew was about to fade away. He never felt that way when confronted by the other Level Four Spirit. The world he was in felt more real than anything a Spirit could conjure up. Was it a Level Five Spirit, or... was it not really the work of a Spirit? He needed clues, and he needed them now! If it wasn't really a Spirit at work, then the "world" might not shatter even if he was to finish the Capture in the very unromantic setting they were in. Was he trapped, gameless in a gameless world? All he knew was that he wanted _out!__  
_

He sat at the desk with the computer on it. Booting it up, he received a black screen in response. Frustrated, Keima started banging the monitor, till the computer started typing out characters. Surprised, Keima looked closer. "...'Yuki.N'?"

The computer started typing more characters beside the Yuki.N. "Can you see this?" Keima, deciding to go with his only lead, decides to start replying.

"Of course I can see it."

"The dimensions aren't severed yet." Dimensions? Was he in another dimension? He was forced to believe the entity, since why would it want to lie to him? Anyway, if he was in another dimension, how? Did Haruhi sleep-drag him into the blue portal she came from or something? "Severance is inevitable. If so, it is over."

Keima decided that if there was a time limit, he shouldn't waste time asking for her identity and should get to the point. "What should I do?"

"Nothing. The Entity has lost hope." The Entity? What was that? Keima shook the thoughts out of his head. Getting out of the place was his top priority. "The chance for evolution is lost. Haruhi Suzumiya created data from nothing. The Entity could not. If we could have analyzed this ability... it may have led to the evolution of autonomy."

At that moment, the giants ran out of buildings to show off their strength with, and decided that the school was a good place to continue their path of destruction. As Haruhi stopped her ramble in favor of observing the blue things, the girl - at least Keima guessed that she was a girl - continued. "I'll gamble on you."

"What?" asked Keima. The person on the other side continued the conversation.

"It's our desire that you return." So she knows Keima? He doubted it. The message was probably for someone else, someone more informed. Maybe it was from Haruhi's old dimension, and this "Yuki" left a message for all who fell into her trap? "Haruhi Suzumiya is a valued subject, and is the center of it all. It would be best for her to return. I, as an individual, also feel a desire for you to return."

So she was close to whoever she was supposed to be messaging? Keima grit his teeth. Too many questions with not enough answers! He wasn't used to being so confused! He was forced to block his mind when the next message came. "Once again, in the library..."

The text faded. Keima, a little frantic, started banging the monitor again. It was futile: the black was there to stay. Only one more message made it through. "Sleeping Beauty."

"Great, so I have to shatter this 'world' in an unknown timeframe by doing... something," summarized Keima. "All I have to do now is figure out what that something is. Still, with all the jargon 'Yuki' was spouting out earlier, that something may be hard to figure out."

At that moment, the electricity was cut and the lights went out. Haruhi was now jumping up and down out of excitement: one of the blue entities was right outside the window. Up close and personal, Keima could make out the finer details. It had three piercing red eyes in an abnormal arrangement, its body looked like something out of Flubber with the jelly like arms and legs, and the thing was truly worthy of the title "colossal". As the thing raised one of its arms, Keima grabbed Haruhi's wrist and dashed out of the room, the eccentric girl protesting all the way. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

Keima didn't bother to reply. Thanks to the things size, it was pretty slow, so Keima predicted that the "fist" would make contact once they hit the corner. He wasn't wrong. Once they reached the end of the hallway, the thing slammed its hand against the building, and the resulting tremors brought Haruhi and Keima to their knees. "Keima, that thing isn't attacking us! I already told you! Why are we running away from it? It isn't evil or anything!"

"...Who knows?" replied Keima, pulling the both of them up and charging for the nearby door. They eventually made their way outside, Haruhi still staring in awe at the mystical being.

"Do you know what's happening? This weird world with the dull gray skies... and that giant! It's all so special!" cheered Haruhi. As the rubble fell around them, Keima had to think quickly. According to Yuki, Haruhi was the center of it all. Did that mean she was the solution? Maybe. Yuki also pointed out that they were in a different universe, and that Haruhi could create something out of nothing. Could she be trying to replace the world with the weird one? Sure, he was all in favor of dwelling in a world of his own, but there weren't any galges in sight. He had to get back home., and that meant convincing Haruhi to not alter the world, as weird as that sounds. "Why don't we stay here, Keima?"

"Don't you want to go back to the world we used to be in?" commented Keima, still trying to get away from the beings. "For example, if we get hungry, we won't have anything to eat. We can't stay here forever!"

"It sounds strange, but I have a feeling that we'll get by somehow," said Haruhi, her smile still plastered on her face. Keima grimaced. As her smile grew, so was her conviction to have the world changed. "I-I'm having _fun_ right now! Let me have my fun!"

"So you're just going to throw your old life away? Are you going to stop looking for aliens, espers, and time travelers?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm having the time of my life here, with all these strange, exciting things happening. I don't need to search for it when its happening right here!"

"But I want- _need_ to go back!" cried Keima, as the ominous being slammed its arm into the building again. Haruhi's smile faltered at Keima's words. Speaking of Keima, he grit his teeth: they just looped around the property. They were back as the baseball field again. "I need to go back and save all those lost lambs that I haven't saved yet! There are so many games I have to finish, and Heroines I must save!"

"What are you talking about!? That useless harem of yours!?" asked Haruhi, digging her heel in yet again, stopping Keima in his tracks. "Ugh! I-I just _can't_ understand you! Weren't you sick and tired of the Real world? Don't you want something interesting to happen in your life!? Isn't that why you play your games!? Aren't you like me?"

The ground shook again, as the blue giants continued their rampage. Keima grit his teeth yet again: he wasn't getting anywhere with her. He needed to figure out what was wrong. Sleeping Beauty... how was Sleeping Beauty resolved? Wait... _'He he, I can see the Ending!'_

"There is no difference between Games and Reality," said Keima, slowly approaching Haruhi. It was eerily similar to the fiasco in the glade, where Haruhi punched Keima into a tree. He shook that thought out of his head, as he placed his hands on Haruhi's shoulders. "All I think about is the Best Ending! That is what drives me, Haruhi! What drives you?"

Just then, the giants suddenly to make a beeline for the baseball field, effectively surrounding the two of them. One of the closer ones kicked away the fence and was just a mere kilometer from Haruhi and Keima. The latter decided to speed things up a little. "Is it me? Is it me - the only one who can come close to truly empathizing with your want of something out-of-this-world?"

"W-What are you? An idiot!?" The giant was now half a kilometer away. To buy a little more time, Keima started twirling the both of them away from certain doom in the way of a bastardized version of the waltz. "Of course it isn't you! Besides, I don't need a drive anymore. I'm happy and content in this world of mystery and grandeur!"

"But you wouldn't have any complaints about me wanting to leave if you were 'happy and content'," rebutted Keima, shutting Haruhi up. "Haruhi, tell me what pushes you forward!" The giant was now right behind them, and it would only take a simple stomp to flatten the two of them into human pancakes, and that wouldn't do. "Time's up, Haruhi!"

"B-But _wait-_"

Their lips melded together, as the world was bathed in a blinding light.

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**4.) Okay, you guys might have a ton of questions, or none at all. If you're part of the former group, please PM me or leave a review asking your questions, and I will answer them. I don't want to make this AN too long. **

**5.) Anyway, please leave a review nonetheless, and I hope you enjoyed the arc. Next arc shall be featuring the Heroine below! See ya!**

_**Next Heroine: M***** K**** from *****_


	10. M----- K---- Route Part 1

**1.) Okay, this is long, long overdue. I've just had the hardest time juggling academics, being a club officer, fixing college applications, writing for Wrathie, penning TWOSK and TCOGK, reading and improving my prose, and still maintaining my extracurricular life. Please bear with me.**

**2.) I've decided to keep all ANs up at the top, so that it'll be all story till you hit the bottom. Anyway, I'll be responding to reviews, so here is a SPOILER WARNING! ****All those who tried guessing the new heroine's identity were right. Here are some virtual cookies! (::) (::) Also, I found out how to calculate Yen to Dollar right after that chapter, so don't blame me. And Miyuki... I dunno. I'm not so sure she'll fit into the universe. SPOILERS DONE!**

******3.) I appreciate any and all feedback, so please leave a review, no matter how long, no matter how short. Just please don't flame. Flamers are lame-rs.**

******4.) The next scheduled TCOGK update is the 18th of July, while TWOSK should be updated by the 11th. No promises, though.**

******Disclaimer still in effect**

******Enjoy!**

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_Flag 10: M***** K**** Route Part 1_

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_"Why...?" asked Keima. He was on the ground, his legs folded underneath him, as the rain pelted his kneeling body. In his arms was a girl, a beautiful girl, a beautiful girl with the most peaceful expression in the world._

_Keima hated that expression. He hated it with all his being. Oh, it suited her. It suited a happy-go-lucky girl like her perfectly. He just didn't like what came with it. Still cradling the blonde girl in his arms, he slowly stood up, his knees threatening to buckle. Shakily, he managed to stand to his full height, his whole person now vulnerable to the rain. He whipped his head towards the heavens, the rain falling incessantly._

_"Why... WHY!?"_

_SCENE CHANGE_

"Gwah!" cried Keima, falling off of his bed. With an annoyed huff, he pushed the messed-up sheets off of him and got up. Picking up the said sheets and tossing them lazily back onto the bed, he whipped out his PFP to check the time. 5:00 AM. Sighing, he decided that he wouldn't get any more sleep than that, and left the room to prepare for the day. Doing his usual morning routine, he returned to his room... or would've, had he not seen Yui standing outside the door. He froze, slowly backing away from the girl. Making sure he was hidden, he peeked from behind a corner, making sure to keep his ears open.

"He locked his door!?" whisper-shouted Yui, shaking the doorknob back and forth. Keima smirked, his glasses lens-flaring, as he pulled out the room key from his pocket. There'd be no midnight ambushes if he could help it! He pocketed the keys, just in time to see Yui pull out a mirror from her pocket. Keima guessed that Mars's heavenly mug would be in the reflection, and he wasn't disappointed. "Well this isn't according to plan. Mars, any ideas on your end?"

"Drastic times call for desperate measures," said Mars. All of a sudden, Yui's right fist started to emit an ethereal glow, not unlike moonlight. Looking at her hand, she clenched it around the doorknob, and squeezed. The poor metal knob popped right off, and the door that it had kept shut a few moments ago slowly swung open. The crossdressing girl air pumped with her now-glowing hand, and barged in, confidence in her stride. Quickly, Keima left the scene, opting to sleep in the guest room instead.

As a faint "Where's Keima!?" could be heard, Keima opened the door to the guest room, only to find the sleeping bodies of multiple Hosts. They were all lying on the floor - probably for the sake of equality - all snug in their sleeping bags. Keima had to stop himself from saying "Eureka!" That was how they came to cook for him so early in the morning! Of course, that didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was where he'd sleep for the night. Putting a hand on his chin, he thought it over. He decided that he could take the vacant bed, making sure that it looked empty from a sleepy teenage girl's point of view so that Yui or one of the other girls wouldn't jump him in his sleep. Nodding, he set his face, navigating the sea of feminine figures. There were a few close calls, but Keima managed to get to the bed safely. Adjusting the covers, he slid in, falling into sleep's deep embrace...

_SCENE CHANGE_

Keima's eyes opened. He was in an unusual room, with an unusual ceiling and an unusual set of five sleeping bags on the floor. Instantly, the memories of the midnight antics rushed back into Keima's head, as he got up. Making sure he wouldn't be heard by any nearby Goddess Hosts, he slipped out of the room and into his own. Navigating the mess, he managed to not break any of his scattered games when making his way towards his closet. Swinging it open, he pulled out his uniform, cravat and all, and swiftly dashed into the hallway, making a beeline towards the bathroom.

While he was soaking in the bath, he had to think over the past few days. Haruhi had been a weird Host. Most Hosts were disinterested in him at the start, with Minami as the only exception. Haruhi wasn't like those hosts, preferring to chase after him, and unlike Minami, Keima actually had to put effort into the Capture. And the Ending was even weirder. A desperate kiss under the foot of a blue glowing giant in an alternate reality? It was like something out of a Shounen manga. Even so, the Ending didn't take first place in the weirdness competition. The Aftermath was definitely the weirdest thing. There was no Runaway Spirit in Haruhi Suzumiya. That in itself was weird, but despite the fact that she didn't have a Spirit in her, the miasma was cleared out a little. It was like she had her own powers or something! Before Keima's internal rant could go on, a knuckle rapped on the bathroom door. "Kami Nii-sama, breakfast is almost ready!"

"...Right," said Keima, quickly getting up and clothing himself before striding out the door. An alluring scent of food pulled him towards the kitchen, where he could see seven girls cooking up a feast. He also saw an envelope on the nearby counter. It was a white envelope lined with pink; had an enticing scent of perfume emitting from it, and - surprise, surprise! - it was addressed to the Capturing God himself. As the girls greeted him and continued to prepare the breakfast meal, Keima plopped onto a nearby couch and proceeded to read the letter's contents.

_'Sorry I couldn't cook breakfast for you! My manager dragged me away, calling me a truant for skipping out on practices all the time. ~Ha ha! Anyway, I know I can't be there for you, so I decided to be there in spirit! There, in the corner, is where I kissed the paper. I made sure to use my favorite lip balm for this, so please enjoy kissing it! XOXOXOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX' - Kanon Nakagawa_

Eye twitching at the intense dere-dere moment, Keima folded up the letter and pocketed it, just as the girls finished the meal. Sitting himself at the tables, he silently nodded, thanked the girls for the food. and dug in. The others soon followed. An awkward silence settled onto the dining table, no one knowing what to do. Luckily, the pause was shattered by Ayumi's ringtone - a Liberation Maiden song. The girl in question shoved her hand into her pocket, pulling out her phone and opening it with a snap of the wrist. "Hello? **...** Ah, hey, Chihiro!** ...** Sorry, I can't hang out later. I have... practice. **...** W-Wait... A new transfer student? **...** In our class!? **...** I guess she makes me a little curious. **...** Yeah, I'll see you there. _Ja_."

Keima was a little stunned. There were only three possibilities worth considering in the situation. First, she could be a legitimate transfer student. Possible. Second, she could be a spy on the devils' side for some unknown reason. Plausible. Lastly, she could be an Alternate Heroine - the least likely of the choices, since there wasn't even a shred of foreshadowing. Plus, there was no blue portal, and no miasma. What did this mean? Keima shoved the thoughts out of his head before he could over think the event. He decided to simply adapt to the situation as needed. "Let's go."

_SCENE CHANGE_

**_DING DONG DANG DONG!_**

"No... way..." said Keima, his eyes wide open and his face sweating bullets. If it was possible, his jaw would've hit the floor or something. Since it was Reality, he could only become slack-jawed at the sight. She was just like her; just like Yokkyun. Sure, she didn't look like her. The new girl was pretty, with long locks of blonde hair, fair skin, and a curvy figure; vastly different from Yokkyun's bad art style. Of course, appearance didn't matter much to Keima; what mattered to him was what was on the inside. Kind-hearted smile, happy-go-lucky outlook, cute quirks, pure soul: everything a classic Game Heroine was. He could tell she wasn't faking it like a lot of other teenage girls: all of her actions were real, from her clumsy falls to her childish Gao's. Still, it was unbelievable to find a girl like her in the Real, unspeakable, even!

Keima stood abruptly from his desk, his PFP falling to the floor with a flinch-inducing thud. Cue deafening silence from the stunned 2-B denizens. Despite the fact that all eyes were on him, he slowly made his way towards the naïve blonde, who was sprawled on the floor thanks to a public display of clumsiness. As Chihiro was wide-eyed, and as Ayumi was sweating bullets, Keima leaned forward and extended a hand towards the woman.

"A kind Otamegane!?"

"And to a girl no less!"

"Maybe she has a game of his or something..."

"Ugh, look at how shaky he is. Must be scared of his harem lashing out at the new edition."

"Please ignore them," said Keima, mustering all his composure. He was shaking, though, but not out of nervousness. Keima was excited. Heck, if he wanted to, he could've activated his God of Conquest mode, fatigue be damned! He was never that excited before. His life was full of boring characters and boring backdrops, with only games to hold his interest. Sure, Elsie and the fiascoes that came with her showed him that Reality was a little interesting, but Haruhi was right. Keima was bored... till now. "I wasn't really paying attention when the teacher announced your name, and you forgot to write it on the board. So what's your name?"

Keima held open his hand. She took it.

"Ah! I'm Misuzu Kamio! It's nice to meet ya!"


	11. Misuzu Kamio Route Part 2

**Sorry for the late update. Luckily it wasn't _too_ late, but still. Anyway, I have excuses, but I won't list them here. If you want the list, feel free to PM me for it.  
Thank you all for reviewing, especially you, "o-o"! You are the reviewer of the week! *cue confetti and party noises* Anyway, I like all of your suggestions. I'm definitely not going to use Yuno, though. She'd kill off all of the Heroines! Rika's a way more plausible Heroine to import.  
Er... I'm really busy at the moment, so please prepare for delays. On the brighter side, Fate/Stay Night fans will have a treat to look forward to.  
**

**Disclaimer still in effect**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Flag 11: Misuzu Kamio Route Part 2_

* * *

"This is bad," said Ayumi, hiding behind a bush. In a familiar scenario, various girls were spying on Keima, who was walking shoulder to shoulder with Misuzu Kamio, who seemed to be a new competitor in the love race for the bespectacled boy. What was bad was that Keima was completely smitten by the klutzy girl's innocent charms. He was supposed to fall in love with one of the Hosts, dang it! "Keima seems... happy. A-Am I just seeing things, Chihiro?"

"Man, why are we here? It's not like we're interested in Keima or anything," said Chihiro, flipping lazily through a magazine. You could tell that she was lying, though: her face was tense, and you could hear her teeth grinding. "And no, you aren't seeing things, Ayumi. He seems pretty... satisfied by her side. Heck, maybe he'll be more normal now that he has..."

Ayumi tuned out her friend's rant in favor of observing the two more. Just what did Misuzu have that the others didn't? Was it the endearing clumsiness? The curvy body? The humongous eyes? Ayumi needed an answer! Her own rant was stopped short when Keima and Misuzu entered an accessories shop. Ayumi cringed a little more. The two were now out of sight. Without something like a telescope or a listening device- "Where'd you get that!?"

"It's just something I found in my bag," said Haqua, who was attaching a headset-like apparatus to her head. Ayumi sweatdropped.

"And _you?_"

"I always have these with me," said Tsukiyo, setting up different telescopes that were focused at different angles to see the whole "scene". Ayumi sweatdropped again.

"...Okay," said Ayumi, deciding not to press her friends. "So, what're they doing now?"

* * *

"A dinosaur key chain?" asked Keima, paying for the little trinket. He plopped it into the blonde's open hands, who gladly accepted it. Once the cheap accessory landed touched her palms, she smiled.

"Wow!" said Misuzu childishly, resisting the urge to say "Gao" for some reason. It was just the sound that dinosaurs made: why would she be reluctant to say it? Shrugging that thought off, she decided to make the most of the moment and try to become closer to her new acquaintance. "And the pterodactyl is one my favorite dinosaurs too! Thanks a lot, Keima!"

"Er... you're welcome," said Keima, still not used to interacting with people who don't have strict relationships with him - for example, Elsie is strictly his partner-in-crime, and Mari is strictly his mother. Even future Conquests will be labeled as "strictly a Heroine". Misuzu was different from the rabble. She was something special. She could merely be a friend... or maybe something closer. "Why's the pterodactyl a favorite of yours?"

"Because of its wings!" said Misuzu, holding up the trinket by the said limbs, making silly airplane noises. Shaking his head at the childish antics his companion was undergoing, Keima smiled as he took his date to a tree on top of a hill. The conditions were perfect: it was a bright day without excessive heat, and there was no one around to ruin the mood. It was the perfect place for an event-

"Dang..." said Keima, slapping his forehead. This wasn't supposed to be a Conquest: there was no one to Capture at the moment. It was just him and a... whatever Misuzu was. It was so confusing! He couldn't fit her into any archetypes that he was comfortable with. She wasn't a loose acquaintance, she wasn't a family member, she wasn't a romantic interest (yet)... just what kind of person was she to him? Deciding to stop that train of thought on the argument that it was just their first meeting, he decided to just let her lead him around. "Misuzu, you wanna just sit here for a while?"

"Sure- woah!" With a thud, she hit the ground butt-first. Chuckling, Keima smiled and extended a hand towards her. Just like before, she took it... and accidentally pulled him down next to her. As he fell over, she waved her arms around exaggeratedly. "_Nihaha!_"

"Ow..." groaned Keima, rubbing his sore derriere. Wiping away her worry, Misuzu started so smile again, as she lied back into the soft grass' embrace. Returning her grin, Keima lied down beside her, looking at the shining blue sky... not noticing the fuming Goddesses nearby.

"...Isn't that a romantic thought?" Raising an eyebrow, Keima pushed himself off of his back to face Misuzu, who was blocking out the sun from her view by using her pterodactyl. Getting up too, Misuzu pocketed her trinket as a breeze passed by. Opening her arms out, as if hugging the gentle winds, Misuzu Kamio continued to speak. "That your other self is in the sky!"

"..." Keima just stood there, shell-shocked. He knew that her thoughts - her entire being - was pure, but not to this extent. To believe that your other self is in the sky, ever-present in your life... would require an insane amount of faith. Keima respected that. "Yes, Misuzu. Yes, it is."

* * *

"...Keima, why?" Keima turned around. He had just finished dropping Misuzu over at her aunt's place, and it was already pretty dark outside. No one he knew should've been there, which meant that the girl was following him. Only a few people fit that bill, and if Keima's voice recognition was accurate-

"'Why?' what, Chihiro?" asked Keima, staring down the only girl who had a mouth harsh enough to knock him down. She slowly walked up to him, till they were face to face, only an inch of space separating their bodies from melding together. He could feel her breath on his chest, and she could feel the heat from his body. They were as close as close could be before getting into intimate territory, which is why it was the perfect place for Chihiro to...

...smack Keima across the face. He was sent reeling, and even if the distance wasn't as far as when he was hit by Haruhi's godly strength or Yuuko's Spirit-charged blow, it was just as painful. As he regained his bearings, he slowly backed away from an advancing Chihiro, who looked as pissed as ever. "Don't play dumb, Keima! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why are you abandoning the others for some person that you _just met!_ Were they that expendable? Was Ayumi that expendable? I didn't know you went this low."

"Let me respond to your question with another question," said Keima, glaring down at the girl as he rubbed his sore, sore cheek. "Why should you care? You barely know the other girls, and Ayumi... would be better off without me, right?" Chihiro, running out of lines to say, cringed, as Keima turned the tide of battle into his favor. Now, he was the one advancing on the normal girl, who was nervously backing away. "Besides, you want nothing to do with me, right? If so, let me do what I want!"

"No!" said Chihiro, stopping. As Chihiro and Keima blushed at how close "face-to-face" really was, Chihiro decided to press on. "I care because Ayumi cares, and she's... happy when she's near you! Even if she IS better off without you, she needs you, Keima. I don't know how or why that is, but she does. As her best friend, I have to help her... even if it means talking to _you._" Now, neither moved. A deafening silence reigned, till Chihiro finally shattered the quietness.

"You know, you never really answered my question. Why are you so focused on Misuzu that you're forgetting about everyone else?" asked Chihiro. Keima sighed. He had hoped that he could divert attention away from that question to divert attention away from Misuzu, but it seemed to be in vain.

"Chihiro, Misuzu is special. She's different from everyone else. Usually, I can sort out people into different archetypes on sight. That's normal. The world is full of stereotypes, after all," said Keima. "Misuzu, on the other hand, is not sortable. She is a girl not seen much these days: innocent, childlike, whimsical. I just need to experience something... exciting once in a while. You understand, right, Chihiro?"

She grit her teeth. He was right. Sure, she knew that she could make herself special if she put her mind to it, but sometimes, you just need that kick to remind you that "Hey, life _can_ be exciting!" "I-I guess so."

"Goodnight, Chihiro," replied Keima, turning his back to her as he walked away. He stopped abruptly when two soft, feminine hands gripped onto his right hand. He turned his head around in time to see Chihiro's face bathed in ethereal light. "...Yes?"

"Do you love her, Keima?"


	12. Misuzu Kamio Route Part 3

**Welcome back, readers! Sorry for putting my stories on hiatus! Too much stuff's been happening at school and real life lately. To be honest... it's not just that. I got hooked on OreImo. And PapaKiki. You could say that I've attended to my anime backlog.**

**To notify you about how my stories have been going, just check my profile every now and then. No need to RSS it or anything, just check if you're anxious for an update.**

**About the chapter... It's kinda iffy for me. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, though. Spoiler: The Misuzu arc and the following arc may be the "last" official arcs. I'm planning on adding more post-prod, such as extra heroines and the like, but that'll be after the "conclusion", and TCOGK would be listed under "complete" by then.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not making any money on this. Suing me would just be a waste of your resources. **

******Welcome back to the Crossover Only God Knows!**

* * *

Flag 12: Misuzu Kamio Route Part 2

* * *

"Do you love her, Keima?"

That question reverberated in Keima's skull, shaking his brain up and giving him a really huge headache. He couldn't answer. He wasn't sure. Misuzu may be a perfect heroine, but she was still naïve, and Keima wasn't sure if he was worldly enough to be able to date a girl of the earth. Was he willing to give up his games in devotion to the blonde beauty? There just weren't enough events and flags to determine it, and going by his gut would be illogical, and Keima was a man of logic: it just wouldn't happen. "Well... gamewise, I d-"

"Keima, I don't want to know what the _games_ say! I want to know what you want to say!" cried Chihiro, kicking the bullcrap out the window. "Oh, is the almighty Otoshigami-sama too perplexed by my simple question?"

"I- wait... Otoshigami-sama?" As far as he knew, the only time that he had used the word "Otoshigama-sama" around Chihiro was during her Conquest. Did that mean that she was getting her memories back? That just opened up a whole new can of worms that Keima definitely didn't want to touch. Still, if she remembered... maybe he could atone for his sin. "Where did you get that from?"

"R-Remember the... um... the time when you lost your PFP?" asked the mundane girl, looking extremely nervous for some reason. Keima nodded. He had asked her out to the Festival. Before she could give a reply, his PFP had been lost. Shortly after he scrambled on all fours to find his baby, Chihiro handed the PFP to him and said yes. Keima distinctly remembered that his mail was on, and his handle name was Otoshigami. "Yeah, it was back then."

It scared Keima. Just how much did the girl remember? How altered were her memories? According to past findings, heroines "farther" from him retain less memories. Take Sumire Uemoto, a girl going to a different school, for example. The only proof of the Capture was the rumor floating around about the boy who tasted the sweetest of ramen dishes. Compared to, say, Mio Aoyama, who was a batchmate of his and retained most of the memories with a mere change in protagonist, it wasn't much. Taking this into context, Chihiro was a really close person. She was a classmate, a tutee, and a... friend, though Keima was reluctant to admit it.

Just how much can she recall? The question ate away at the gamer. Could she remember the recent "break up" on the rooftop after a heartwarming kiss event? How about when they lead each other to the end of Ayumi's route, teaming up to reach the True end? Or maybe her knowledge reached up to that kiss in the rain. Keima was so occupied by the thoughts that Chihiro had to snap her fingers in front of his face to regain his attention. "Oi, Earth to Keima!"

"Kh!" cried Keima, backing away from the girl's delicate fingers. He was shocked that just a simple question could consume him so much. Deciding to save face by composing himself, he straightened his cravat and stood tall. "I-I'm okay. I'm just surprised that you remembered such an insignificant thing. You sure you haven't heard it anywhere else?"

Chihiro flushed, looking away out of embarrassment. "I-I may have... but I won't tell you!" Keima would've face-faulted, but he decided that a simple palm to the face would suffice. With his cynicism levels at an all new high, he decided to play the tsukkomi to her obvious boke.

"Why not, Chihiro?" asked Keima, putting on a mask of innocence. The girl in question remained flustered, her cheeks emblazoned in a cute shade of red. Keima had to hold back manic laughter at the sight of her leaning forward, timidly curling herself up till she took a Shiori like pose. What happened to the girl who could knock him off of his pedestal? Of course, he had to plan a... date with Misuzu, so he had to cut off the conversation. "I'll give you some time to answer. Good night, Chihiro."

As Keima walked away, Chihiro stammered an answer. Only God knows if he heard it.

* * *

**XOXOXOX**

* * *

After school came to a close the next day, Keima escorted Misuzu out of the campus, with their stalkers not far behind. Keima sighed. Couldn't they have a little bit more subtlety? Well, when it came down to it, Misuzu didn't notice the clique of women tailing them, so Keima didn't really need to care. As they walked down the road, Keima noticed all the couples holding hands, whispering sweet nothings into each others' ears. He knew that this wasn't a common occurrence – he may always have his eyes glued to his PFP, but he was always aware of his surroundings. No need to have a repeat of that car accident from a few years back. Deciding to ignore the army of love, he instead looked over to the childish girl beside him.

She couldn't really get along with the other classmates due to her extreme childishness. Elsie's naïvety may get her some cute points, but Misuzu's was _way_ past the line of "cute, innocent maiden". Almost no one could get through to her, with the only exception being... him. The judgmental students of Maijima High just couldn't get past the clumsiness and the childish personality that she had. Boys were too shy to approach her heavenly figure (and those who weren't got their drinks spilled over and their legs tripped up), and girls were too jealous of the said figure. The few accepting people of the school were either too shy, or jealous of the attention that she got from... him. It was him again. It was as if he was the cause of all her troubles or something! "Oo, where are they all going, Keima?"

"...Well, if I had to guess, I'd say that there's a couple's sale at the mall or something," said Keima, and he was pretty sure that he was right. Zoning in on a black-haired boy in casual clothes hand in hand with an orange haired girl with the figure of a model, he could see the spark a girl had in her eyes when she was excited for something (Keima got that look one too many times from Elsie when they walked near the fire station), and he could see the boy look at the brown wallet haphazardly sticking out of his pocket, no doubt thinking how empty it would be after the shopping spree.

Speaking of spark, Misuzu had a blindingly bright one in her blue eyes. She squealed out of excitement, jumping up and down as if she'd won the lottery. Many eyes darted towards the two, but neither one cared. After her "fit", she started gleefully marching towards where the couples were going, dragging Keima with her! "W-Where are we going, Misuzu?"

"To where the people are going!" replied Misuzu. With another step, she tripped on a pebble, falling flat on her face. Not at all surprised, Keima extended a hand, helping the girl up. Despite the scratches and dirt scattered around her face, she still looked happy and beautiful, doing a cute little spin to affirm her safety. "I mean, what kind of special is happening? Why is a special happening? Aren't you curious?"

"Hehe, you really are a kid, aren't you?" teased Keima, smirking. She puffed out her cheeks, a cute groan seeping out of her closed mouth. "I guess we can. Let's go, Misuzu!"

* * *

**XOXOXOX**

* * *

"Er... thanks, I guess," replied Keima, who was dragged into Misuzu's apartment forcefully by the blonde in question. It was a small and cozy place. From Keima's spot at the low table, he could see a western-styled dining table and a corner of the kitchen where Misuzu was cooking up some grub for dinner. He could also see the entrance to a corridor that probably lead to the bathroom and her bedroom. "But you don't really need to cook me dinner, though."

He was afraid that she might burn herself cooking, or maybe accidentally get a cicada in his food or something. Scratch that last one – no one is that clumsy. "But I want to repay you for the cards, Keima!"

That was right. On the low table was a deck of cards, safely kept in a cheap plastic case Keima got with the deck. They had gotten it at a popular novelty store that had an out-of-season couples sale. It was surprisingly packed for a small shop, and it had taken them quite a while to reach the counter with the deck of cards. By the end of it, all tired Misuzu wanted was to go home, and had latched on to Keima's back in piggyback fashion till they reached Misuzu's. Keima smiled at the memory. It was... exciting, being with her. It provided the thrill that just going through the motions couldn't give. He knew that these feelings existed, but were they strong enough to abandon everything for? Did he have an answer to Chihiro's question? At that moment, Misuzu plated the dishes and placed them on top of the dining table. "Keima, the food's ready!"

"R-Right," said Keima, knocked out of his reverie. He pocketed the PFP that he had been absent-mindedly playing and sat at the table, sitting in front of the hostess. She smiled at him; he tried to smile back.

"Itadakimasu!"

After the meal, the two sat down at the low table, with Misuzu chatting her head off, and Keima playing the heck out of his PFP. The two thrived in that environment; Misuzu could be as eccentric as she wanted, and Keima could be as indifferent as he wanted. Opposites truly did attract. As the one-sided chat continued, Misuzu's fingers inched ever so diligently towards the cards. Once they reached their objective, they latched themselves around the plastic case. "Keima, let's play cards!"

"...Cards? What kind of game?" asked Keima, putting down his PFP. As long as it was a game, he would win, and his pride wouldn't allow him to throw the match, so it wouldn't be good for their relationship to go against each other, especially if Misuzu was a competitive person. Still, he couldn't deny the maiden anything, especially when she had that irresistible grin on her mug. Taking the deck, he shuffled it like a pro, the cards flying from one hand to another. "How about a simple game... say... Crazy Eights?"

"Sure!" cheered the girl. The cards were dealt, and the game was started. In the blink of an eye, the expected happened: Keima won. By a landslide. Keima, chest puffed out, enjoyed his victory high as Misuzu crumpled onto the table in defeat. When the sobbing started, Keima stopped his fanfare and looked over to the girl. Tears were running down the girl's porcelain skin, looking out of place on her normally serene expression. Keima rushed to her side, catching her as she molded herself into his body.

"Misuzu, a-are you okay? If you wanted me to go easier, you should've told-" Keima was cut off by the arms that encircled themselves around his neck in an embrace. She shivered, and hugged onto him tighter. Keima knew really bad losers. Nanaka Haibara was a perfect example, obsessing over two losses in Shogi. Misuzu looked way worse. She was crying a river just because of a loss in a game that she wasn't even an expert in.

"I-It's not that," said the blonde, trying to compose herself and failing. She backed away from her companion, wiping her tears away with her shirt. Reaching out, she grabbed something and sneezed her nose clean. Unfortunately for Keima, that something was his cravat. Luckily for the mood, he didn't notice. He was too occupied by the girl that he couldn't really figure out. "W-Whenever I make f-friends... I just-"

She collapsed into a crying fit yet again, latching onto Keima for comfort. This time, he was prepared. He enveloped the sobbing girl in his embrace, flashing her a soft yet sincere smile. Holding her close, he answered the untold question.

"Yes, Misuzu, I'll be your friend."


End file.
